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Memorial of Lynn 

ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS. 



EMnUACING AN 



HISTORICAL SKETCH, 

16^9-18^6, 



J^«4-i^.<tv2JJ^2:,<Co^ 



AND 



NOTICES OF THE MAYORS, 



^A^ITH PORTRAITS. 



LYNN: 
PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE CITY COUNCIL. 

KIMBALL & COURTIS, PRINTERS. 

1876. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1877, by 

James R. Newiiall, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



^7^ 



P^REK^CE. 



Toe following Rosolution of CoDg-rcss is to bo referred to as the 
occasion of the publication now in tlie reader's hand: 

Joint Resolution on the Celebration of the Centennial in the 
Several Counties or Towns, 
Be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America, in Congress assembled. That it Ix-, and is hereby rec- 
ommeuded by the Senate and House of Ropresentativos to the people of 
the several State's that they asseml)le in their several counties or towns 
on the approaching Centennial Annixersary of onr National Independ- 
ence, and that they cause to have delivered on such day an IILstorieal 
Sketrh of said county or town from its formation, and that a copy of said 
sketch may be fikd, in print or manuscript, in the Clerk's office of said 
county, and an additional copy, in print or manuscript, be tiled in the 
office of the Librarian of Congress, to the int;.^nt that ii complete record 
may thus be obtained of tbo progress of our institutions during the First 
Centennial of their existence, [Approved Marcli 13, 1876.] 

For reasons which need not be here recapitulated, Lynn did not 
engage in a formal celebration of the Centennial Year ; though 
the day was observed in various patriotic ways. An historical 
address was attempted, at the First Methodist Church ; but the 
time was so limited that few points could be satisfactorily pre- 
sented, and the City Council, deeming a neglect to comply with 
the Resolution an omission of duty, afterward took action in the 
matter, and requested the individual whose name appears in the 
title page to prepare the Sketch. 

Having had an opportunity to examine several " Centennial 
Memorial " books, prepared by other cities, the writer has been 
surprised at tlie manner in wliich the Resolution of Congress was 
in some instances resj)on(led to, but has no disposition to assume 
that Lynn has done better than they. Few liave given so many 
dates, facts, and statistical details, in connection with tlieir d<'- 
scriptive and rhetorical cliai)tcrs. Hut this laborious loiu'se has 
been pursued for tlie purpose, especially, of enabling tho.se wlio, 
in th(? future, may desire to kmiw sonietiiing of mir condition in 

fiii] 



IV 



PREFACR. 



this Centennial Year, to gain at least a tolerably fair view. We 
say laborious course, for few people unacquainted with book- 
making can have any just conception of the amount of labor and 
really toilsome application required in the production of almost 
any work, but especially one of this kind. Dr. Living.stono, m 
the preface to his African Travels, says, " Those who have never 
carried a book through the press can form no idea of the amount 
of toil it involves. The process has increased my respect for 
authors a thousand fold." 

The following are the names of the joint special committee ap- 
pointed by the City Council to attend to the publication : Mayor 
Lewis, and Aldermen AliVed A. Mower and Nathan A. Ramsdcll ; 
President George T. Newhall of the Council, and Councilmen 
Eben Beckford, of Ward Three, John Shaw, 2d, of Ward Five, 
and John A. Sanderson, of Ward Six. Mayor Lewis and Presi- 
dent Newhall formed the sub-committee of publication, and have 
done their duty faithfully. The latter gentleman took special 
char-o in the preparation of the Portraits and other lUustrations, 
and tn various ways rendered valuable service, besides writing 
the biographical sketch of the first Mayor. 

Small as our volume is, upon its pages appear the names of 
many worthy sons and daughters who have labored faithfully in 
promoting the interest and extending the fame of our common 
home ; and the purpose will not be accomplished if even the 
dullest and most fastidious does not find among them genial and 
profitable companions, examples fitted to stimulate the noblest 

ambition. 

But here is our Offering ; sent forth in good faith, and in the 
ardent hope that when Father Time has completed another cen- 
tennial round, this generation may all be safe in Paradise ; and 
the one then occupying our place as far in advance of us on the 
high road of human progress as we claim to be in advance of 
those who a century ago occupied the heritage. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



Introductory Remarks — Commencement of Settlement — First 
Church — Names of First Comers — Early Ministers, with 
Notices of some of their Descendants — Early Lay-Settlers, 
with Family Notices — First Physicians — First Lawyers — 
Noted Women 9 

CHAPTER n. 

The Settlement receives its name of Lynn — Ancient and Hon- 
orable Artillery Compan}'-, with Notice of l.ynn Members — 
Merrimac and Saugus Rivers — Iron Works — Lynn made a 
Market Town — Material and Moral Condition of the Set- 
tlers — Administration of Andros, with Notice of Ran- 
dolph's Petition for a Grant of Nahant, and the Town's 
Action thereon 36 

CHAPTER in. 

Lynn in Time of Indian Incursions and Wars — Glimpse of 
the Place in 1750 — Dagyr, the Shoemaker, Comes — Charac- 
ter <4' the Early Shoe Business — Condition of Things in 
IJcviilutioHary Times, and Patriotism of the People — New 
Life after the Revolution 4:7 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Shoe Business, since tlie Revolution, its progress and 
Present Condition, with Notice of the Introduction of the 
Morocco Manufacture by Ebenezer Breed — Patriotic Action 
of Lynn in Time of Shays's Rebellion, in the Building of 
the United States fort in Boston Harbor, in 1812, and in the 
South Carolina Nullification, in 1832 — Lynn, During the 
War of the Rebellion — Death of President Lincoln — Deco- 

[v] 



VI CONTENTS. 

ration Day — Soldiers' Monument — First Celebration of 
Independence, in Lynn — Ccnteunial Observance, 1876 — 
Social and Pecuniary Condition of tlic People 59 

CHAPT$]R V. 

Territorial Situation of Lynn — Romantic Localities — Moll 
Pitcher — Geological Features — Flora — Ponds — Brooks and 
Springs — Shores and Beaches — Modern nouschold Con- 
veniences — Facilities for Travel — Exemption of Lynn from 
Destructive Visitations — History of Lynn — Visits of In- 
dians T 7 

CHAPTER VI. 

Present Aspect of Lynn — Public Buildings — Business Struc- 
tures — Dwellings — Streets — Drives — Statistical Tables. ... 93 

CHAPTER VII. 

General Remarks — Biographical Sketches of Alonzo Lewis 
and James R. Newhall — Chronological Table of Impor- 
tant and Interesting Events since the First Settlement of 
Lynn 116 

PART II. 
Portraits of Mayors of Lynn, with Biographical Notices. . . . 139 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Views of Lynn. Facing the title page, and between pages 92 
and 93, arc three pictures which pcrliaps give as fair an idea 
of the general appearance of the place as could be obtained 
from elevations. Of course the busy character of the streets, 
the stately proportions of Ihc finer buildings, and points of 
landscape beauty, cannot appear in such illustrations, how- 
ever charming to the beholder the original views may be, 
with their diversity of coloring, and enlivened by moving ob- 
jects. These Views were taken in the absence of foliage, 
otherwise they would have appeared blurred, as Lynn is well 
supplied with beautiful trees. 

City Hall. Facing page 139 is a View of the City Ilall, erected 
at a cost of $312,000. The corner stone was laid Nov. 28, 
1865, and the building was dedicated Nov. 30, 18GY, with 
appropriate ceremonies, in the presence of a very large as- 
semblage. A full account of the proceedings on that inter- 
esting occasion may be found in a neat little volume published 
soon after, and hence it is not nocessary to speak of them in 
the present work. 

Ancient Shoemaker's Shop, between pages 60 and 61. 

Modern SnoE Manufactory, between pages 60 and 01. 

X '■' ' '■ - '- ' ' 

Ancient J^cnooi, House — once on Lynn Common — between pages 104 
aii<l 10.5. 

CoBBET School TIouse^ built in 1S72, between pages 101 and 105 

[vii] 



Vlll 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Portraits. No special allusion to the Portraits is necessary in 
this place, they being accompanied by Biographical Notices. 
They appear as follows : 



Baker, Daniel C, faces page 151 



Lewis, Jacob M., faces page 195 



Breed, Andrews, " 


J. t-J 

" 159 


Mudge, Benj. F., " 


" 147 


Breed, Hiram N., " 


" 175 


Mudge, Ezra W., " 


" 16a 


Butrum, James N., " 


" 187 


Neal, Peter M., 


" 179s 


Davis, Edward S., " 


" 171 


Newhall, James R., " 


" 125 


•Hood, George, " 


" 143v 


Richardson, T. P., " 


" 155 


Johnson, Wm. F., " 


" 167 


Ushei-, Roland G., " 


" 183 


Lewis, Alonzo, " 


" 121 


Walden, Edwin, " 


" 191 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



CHAPTER I. 



Introductory Remarks — Connnoiiccment of Settlement — First 
Churcli— Xamos of First Comers— Early Ministers, with Notices 
of some of their Descendants— Early Lay-Settlers, with Family 
Notices— First Physicians— First Lawyers— Noted Women. 

What is true of an individual, in tlic attainment and 
security of material prosperity, is true of a community — 
integrity and sagacity being the foundation stones, enter- 
prise and prudence the constructive elements. And so 
by parity of reasoning we say, what is true of a single 
city, town, or village, is true of a nation. In an obscure 
individual or in an obscure scrap of territory may orig- 
inate the germ of a far-spreading and excellent growth. 

^\ ith perhaps excusable fondness for their genial home, 
the people of Lynn have sometimes felt that the position 
her name is fairly entitled to occupy among those of the 
more duteous children of our favored land has not bc(Mi 
fully accorded — that the service she has rendered in the 
great onward march of the nation has too far b(>en over- 
looked. l>iit she is not jealous nor dishearlened, and 
would not be boastful. It may l>e asked, h(.\vever : 
"^^hat, indeed, has she done worthy of peculiar commend- 
atiou? These pag(>s, we trust, will allbrd evidence that 

she has, at least, not fallen short of her (hity. She earJv 
2 



10 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

became the seat of a serviceable manufacture, wliicb lias 
clone more to enrich New England, and possibly the 
whole country, than any other; and has tenaciously 
adhered to it through prosperous and adverse times, 
till at this day she stands foremost of all places in the 
land in that branch of trade. Is not that something 
worthy of remembrance in this Centennial Year — some- 
thing worthy of commendation ? 

In the preparation of this brief Historical Sketch of the 
City of Lynn, in the County of Essex, and State of 
Massachusetts, in accordance with the Resolution of 
Congress, it will be the simple aim to furnish an histori- 
cal outline, filling out, so far as space may permit, vfith 
such details as appear most aptly to illustrate the char- 
acter, progress, and condition of the little community, 
from the days of its infantile struggles and successes 
amono- the earliest New Endand settlements down to this 
National Centennial Year, 187G. 

Well, then, let us revert to the far-off year 1629, and, 
on a genial day of early summer, behold a little band of 
settlers pausing upon the rocky heights that traverse the 
eastern border of the beautiful plain on which the city 
stands — pausing for an initiatory view of the land which 
was to them a land of promise. Upon their left stretches 
out the ever-sounding sea^ — the sea whose blue bosom 
is now studded with white sail-^ and lined with smoky 
trains; but then a solitary waste, or marked only by 
the tiny Indian craft. Boibre them lies the woody plain 
on which their rude habitations are about to be reared ; 



HISTORICAL SKCTCII. H 

and a score of miles beyond, illiiiiiin.ilcd 1)V' flie iiK.rniiif 
sun, rise iho lonely hills (»rSliawmu(, (hen overshadowed 
by til!' anticnl l"»r('sl, but soon to be (•rowncd by the 
humblr homes of the pioneer settlers of lloslon. 

They descend to the pLiin and rest a while beside a 
sedgy pond, refVesliin^i^- themselves from the scantv store 
their traveling wallets eontain and slaking their thirst 
from a running brook. Ihit time with them is precious; 
and soon, with stent lieart and ready hand, they com- 
mence t:) rear a sheltering roof The old woods resonnd 
with the noise of the ax and hammer, and the wary 
Indian and reposing beast arc startled by the strange 
echoes. Tliey toil on through mid-day's lustrous hours, 
and cease not till the sun goes down and the crescent of 
the new moon glows in the western sky. Then they 
wash in the cool waters and partake of their hund)lc 
evening meal. And lastly, in thankfulness and hope, 
they join in prayer and sacred song, and seek repose be- 
neath the roof they have so hastily reared. So passed, as 
we may well imagine, tlie first day in the settlenn-nt of 
Lynn — a day in the balmy unnith of June, 1G20. 

A settlement without a Christian church, and that of 
strict puritanical order, was a thing entindy inconsistent 
with the purposes of the X(«\v fhigland fathers, and so, in 
lGo2, though few in number and scattered over a large 
extent of territory, the l.yiMi settlers determined to nuiin- 
t;iii! [iiiblir worship. The first Chur* h was then estab- 
lished ; anil the same ecclesiastical organization has 



12 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

continued to this day, maintaining its integrity through 
all the periods of doctrinal change to which almost every 
one of the first twenty New England churches was sooner 
or later subjected. The history of the early churches is 
so blended with the secular history of the settlements that 
the local historian who would attempt to carry forward 
either alone would encounter interminable perplexities. 
This arises chiefly, perhaps, from the semi-union of 
Churoh and State that long existed ; the ministers fre- 
quently having questions referred to them by the legis- 
lature and courts for determination on "christian," in 
distinction from "legal," principles. The Levitical law 
was about as often appealed to as are the reports or stat- 
utes at this day. Over the First Church, during its long 
history, more than one eminent divine has been settled — 
we need only mention Bachelor, Whiting, Cobbet, and 
Shepard, whose names will be recognized as among the 
most prominent, not only in ecclesiastical affairs, but 
political, during their times. 

But before all others, clerical or lay, it is fitting that 
Edmund Ingalls and his brother Francis Ingalls should 
be named, they being the first white persons known to 
have had established habitations vvithin our borders. 
The first located near what ii now tlie picturesque litth' 
Gold Fish pon 1 ; and the othcu", pr()ba1)ly, within the 
limits of Suampscott. From tliesc; two pioneers have 
descended the numerous and respect;d)l(> Ingalls family of 
the [)resent day. They appear to have been well fitted 
for the enterprise they engaged in — hardy and deter- 



IIISTOllICAL SKCTCir. 13 

mined, prepared to face tlie dangers and endure the 
privations of u lonely wilderness life — cheered oidy hy 
the high motives that induced their comino- 

o * 

The first miuister was Stephen Bachelor. He made 
some stir in the eonimunity, hut it does not appear that 
any specially meritorious results followed his agitations. 
It is from ]iim, liowever, tliat tlie Bachelor family, now 
so prominent in various parts of the country, descended. 

The second minister was Samuel Whiting, who came 
from Lynn Begis, in England ; and it was in compliment 
t<» liim that the settlement was called Lynn, it having 
Ih'ou (li.sliuguished by its old Lidian name of Saugus 
down to lOoT. He was a man eminent for learning and 
serenity of character, and remained the revered spiritual 
guide of the people for the h.ng period of forty-three 
years. His conjugal companion, who cheeifully shared 
his privations and wearying labors in this then wilder- 
ness, had come i'rom a h(mie of refinemenl ami luxury. 
She was a sister (.f Oliver St. John, wlio was Chief 
Justice of Enghind during the Commonwealth, and could 
trace her lineage by several lines unmistakably to Wil- 
liam tin' Comiueror — yea, even to the reuowneil Danish 
sovereign Canute, the story of whose nienioi-able rebuke 
to his courtiers at the seaside is so familiar to every 

School-ho\'. 

Jo llii> \cnrr;ible pair our whole nation is deej)lv in- 
debted, in t!i;it, lln-ou,i:li our entire history, descendants 

ol tliciis li,i\c ;i|)|M',ir<'(l rendering excellent sei-\ice in 



3^4 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

important national departments. Among tliem have 
arisen more than one eminent in literature, and in divin- 
ity ; more than one eminent as commanders in the mar- 
tial field; more than one eminent at the bar, on the 
bench, and in the councils of the nation : to say nothing 
of the multitude of sons and daughters who have honor- 
ably acquitted themselves in the less conspicuous but 
still important duties pertaining to the sweet quietude of 
domestic life. The name of Whiting is preserved in one 
of our pleasant streets, and in one of our principal 
schools. It would be gratifying, were it allowable, to 
formally notice a score of those who have, during the 
different periods of our history, rendered themselves 
especially deserving of remembrance. Three descend- 
ants took part in the battle of Lexington, namely, Tim- 
othy Whiting and his two sons, Timothy and John. The 
former of the sons became a Captain, and the latter a 
General, in the Continental army. 

The lion. William Whiting, a distinguished solicitor of 
Boston, who died in 1870, and by whose filial hand the 
modest granite obelisk was erected in tlie Old Burying 
Ground in Lynn to the memory of his revered ancestor, 
spent many agreeable hours in genealogical investi- 
gations, and published a volume tracing the various 
windings of the family line. His own life was a most 
useful one, and ho was conspii'uous in various depart- 
ments of public concern — was Presiik^ntial Elector in 
18G8 ; Representative from Boston in the Forty-third 
Congress ; Solicitor of the War Department, at Wash- 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 15 

ington, three years, 18G2-'C5. ][is opportune writings 
during the critical (inies of tlio Ivclx'liion created a pro- 
loiiinl impression. Soon ai'tcr the (•itimiicncciiKMit of lios- 
tili(i(\s lie l)()l(lly advocated an essential change in the 
piilicy nf tlic i;(iA ("niincnt in carrying on tlio (Mjidcst; 
and his " \Var Powers ol" tlic ]?resident," and papers on 
Military Arrests, Military Government, Reconstruction, 
or the Return of the Rebellious States to the Union, 
and War Claims against the United States, will long be 
reicrred to as able and sagacious expositions. In 1871, 
an edition, comprised in a volume of seven hundred and 
twenty-five pages, was issued. 

rerlia[)S it is not our duty to add that Major-General 
Whiting, of the Confederate army, who ranked next to 
I)('au regard as the ablest officer in the engineer depart- 
ment of the Southern service, was a son of Col. John 
Whiting and a direct descendant from our Acnerable 
minist(M'. lie graduated at the public Latin School in 
Boston, in ISoO, and a few years after at West Point, 
where he took foremost rank in tlie engineer corps. He 
was taken ])risoner while in command of the Confederate 
forces al llie nionlli of Cape I'ear river, and died while 
a prisoner in Xew ^'ork liarbor. lie is represented to 
lia\(' been a man of rare aeconiplislinieids. 

The celelirateil Thomas Coi'.i'.r/r was ins(alle(l as a 
colleague witli Mr. W'jii I ini;' over (lie Lyini elmrch in 
liV-n, and i-emained lill ICioCi. lie was one of ilic most 
jirofdic wiilers of :dl tlie early New I'aigland ministers, 
and exei'cised eonsideralije jioliiic.il indueiice. His n;imo 



16 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

is perpetuated in the stately brick school-house in Frank- 
lin street, erected in 1871. He removed to Ipswich, 
after nearly twenty years' residence in Lynn, and died 
there in 1G85. At his funeral were provided one barrel 
of wine, two barrels of cider, eighty- two pounds of sugar, 
half a cord of wood, four dozen pairs of gloves for men 
and women, and " some spice and ginger for the cider," 
— all indicating that he was a man of note. 

And here, perhaps, may properly be introduced a few 
words respecting one or two of the early lay-settlers and 
their meritorious descendants. It is interesting and 
profitable to trace ancestral lines ; and one who has no 
respect for his ancestors has no right to claim respect from 
his posterity. To the cultivated mind, especially, such 
study has a peculiar charm ; for one may thus withdraw 
from the distracting scenes around him, and enjoy com- 
munion Avith those who have been blessings to their race. 
He can thus, at least, choose such companions as may be 
congenial, free from the obtrusion of the disagreeable. 
" Whatever withdraws us from the power of our senses," 
says Dr. Johnson; "whatever makes the past, the dis- 
tant, or the future predominate over the present, ad- 
vances us in the dignity of thinking beings." 

Edward Holyoke is found settled in Lynn as early as 
1G30. He came from Warwickshire, and his father is 
thought to have been the same "Edward Ilollyocke " 
mentioned in the will of the father of Ann Hathaway, 
wife of Shakspeare. His name is perpetuated in Hoi- 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 17 

yoke street, and in the never-failin'^ and never-freezin£r 
Ilolyoke spring, both in the western section of the city. 
Tic was a farmer, and in the allotment of lands, in 1G38, 
received five hundred acres. lie appears to have been a 
marked example of the rigid Puritan, and one in whose 
integrity and good judgment the utmost confidence was 
placed. For many years he represented the town in the 
General Court, and was also a member of the Essex 
Court. 

His son Elizur removed to Springfield, married into 
the conspicuous Pynchon family, and did eminent service 
for the settlers in that quarter. In 1G52 the General 
Court appointed him one of the commissioners to govern 
the Springfield settlers "in all matters not extending to 
life and limb." The Colony Records afford abundant 
evidence of his having been a man of public spirit 
and excellent qualities. Mount Ilolyoke, in Hampshire 
county, is said to have derived its name from him. 
This Elizur died in 1G7G, leaving a son of the same 
name, who had settled in Boston, becoming prominent 
by his enterprise and wealth ; and whose fame will lon^- 

o 

sur\ivo Irom his association with the founders of the 
Old South church. President Edward Ilolyoke of Har- 
vard collcgo, born in Boston, June 25, 1G8!), was a son 
of the la.^t-namcd Elizur ; ho was a laborious student, 
distinguished as a classical scholar and niaMicinaliciaii ; 
and the college, under his official charge, was remark- 
ably prosperous. Dr. Edward A. Ilolyoke, who dicl in 
Salem, March 31, 1829, at the age of a ImndnMl years 



a 



18 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

and eight months, was a son of President Holyoke. The 
doctor had practiced medicine in that place for some- 
thing more than seventy years ; was first president of 
the Massachusetts Medical Society, of which he was one 
of the founders, and prominent in various departments 
of learning. He remained intellectually vigorous even 
at the age of a hundred. 

George Burrill may be named as the American head 
of a most worthy family. He came to Lynn in 1630, and 
settled at Tower Hill. His descendants have left im- 
prints upon our nation's history which will not be effaced. 
A granddaughter of his was the mother of Hon. Timothy 
Pickering, the friend and adviser of Washington through 
some of the most trying scenes that ever perplexed that 
most noble of men. He was the patriot who, as colonel 
of militia, at the North Bridge in Salem, on the 2Gth 
of February, 1775, first offered armed resistance to the 
British forces. He was adjutant-general in the Revo- 
lutionary army, and in 1780 succeeded Greene as quar- 
termaster-general. When the alarms of war had ceased, 
he rendered efficient aid in the formation of the govern- 
ment ; was postmaster-general in 1791, secretary of 
war in 1794, and secretary of state in 1795. But 
after all these years of meritorious service he retired 
from office in 1800, so poor that with his family he 
sought a home in the wilds of Pennsylvania, making a 
log cabin his abode. And had not friendly hands inter- 
posed to restore him to his early home, he would prob- 
ably have met his final fate in that almost savage place. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 19 

Was not here an example worthy of contemplation by 
some modern statesmen ? 

jMr. Uurrill had a son John, who was for many years 
one of the most active and useful men in the colony ; 
was a member of the king's council, a judge, and for 
some ten years speaker of the house of representatives, 
in which position he acquitted himself with such marked 
ability as to secure the highest commendation. Gov- 
ernor Hutchinson, in speaking of him, says, "I have 
often heard his cotemporaries applaud him for his great 
integrity, his acquaintance with parliamentary forms, 
the dignity and authority with which he filled the chair, 
the order and decorum he maintained in the debates of 
the house ;" and compares him with Sir Arthur Onslow, 
wlio had the reputation of being the most accomplished 
speaker who ever presided in the house of commons. 

James Burrill, chief justice of the supreme court of 
Rhode Island, and United States senator in 1817-'20, 
was a lineal descendant of George, our colonist. lie 
was strongly opposed to the memorable Missouri Com- 
promise, and bore a conspicuous part in the debates 
thereon. 

The wife of Henry Wheaton, LL. I)., the learned 
writer on "International Law," was a daughter of Jo- 
seph I)urrill, of Newport, R. I., another dcscciidanf o|' the 
Lynn settler. Dr. Wlicatoii did g«K»d scrxicc Wn- Ids 
country both at Inmie and abroad. He was tlio lirst 
diplomatic agent of the United States in Denmark, and 
from 1837 to 1840 minister i)h'iiipotentiary to Prussia. 



20 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

To the eighth edition of his ' ' Elements of International 
Law " were appended the notes of Richard H. Dana, jr., 
which occasioned so much discussion Avhen the question 
of Mr. D.'s confirmation as Minister to England came up 
to be disposed of by the senate, in 1876. It is a work of 
standard authority in Europe, and indeed in all countries 
where international law is recognized. He was a pro- 
found lawyer, and a highly valued member of divers 
learned bodies both here and abroad. In his children 
the Burrill blood could not deteriorate. His son Robert, 
who died in 1851, aged twenty-five, was a writer of 
some note ; and a memoir of him by his sister appeared 
soon after. 

Another of the early settlers was Thomas Parker, who 
came in 1635. He was strong in the old New England 
faith, and little dreamed that in two hundred years after 
he was laid to his final rest a direct descendant of his 
would enliven, if not startle, the christian world by 
preaching doctrines that would shock his pious predilec- 
tions, and be to him a recession from the fundamental 
ground of man's hope — that descendant, the Rev. Theo- 
dore Parker. 

Still another of the very early settlers was John Ban- 
croft, who died after a residence of about seven years. 
He seems to have been a very worthy man, but, like tlio 
great philosopher of old, wedded to a companion unequal 
to the task of restraining that unruly member which so 
often kindles fierce fires. The court records indicate 
her weakness and his triak. But the eminent historian, 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 21 

George Bancroft, could not have existed save through 
this apparently uncongenial pair. And tlic father of 
the liistoriau was a man of note. lie was born in Read- 
ing, Mass., in 1755, and early exhibited such a thirst for 
learning as indicated future eminence ; was a college 
student at the opening of the Revolution, but appeared 
as a volunteer at the battles of Lexington and Bunker 
Hill. He graduated in 1778, studied divinity, and after 
a few years of change settled in Worcester in 1786. 
There he remained till his death, in 1839, acceptably 
performing pastoral duties for half a century. He was 
among the first to squarely plant himself on the Unitarian 
platform, and did much, l)y preaching and writing, to 
enforce the doctrines and shape the destinies of that de- 
nomination. His acquirements in various departments 
fitted him for useful membership in several learned 
bodies. 

Richard Haven appeared here as a farmer in 1040, 
and settled near the Flax pond. He was ancestor, in a 
direct line, of President Haven of Michigan State Uni- 
versity ; of Bishop Haven of the Methodist Churtli, and 
other eminent individuals. A gathering of his descend- 
ants, to the number of fifteen Inuuh-ed, was held at 
Fniminu'liam, in Middlesex county, some years since. 

"We find .ToiiN ViNTON here, connected with \hr Inm 
Works, as early as 1G4S. The family was of Huguenot 
origin, and lias always held a respectable position. The 
eminent divines, Alexander and Franeis Vinton, were 
descendants from this settler. JSome years since there 



22 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

appeared a volume on the genealogy, lineal and collat- 
eral, of the family, in the notes and appendix of which 
is to be found much interesting information, especially 
that developed in the discussion touching the Lynn and 
Braintree Iron Works. 

Philip Kertland arrived in 1G35. He was the first 
shoemaker here; and for that reason, perhaps, ought to 
be held in remembrance, though it does not appear that 
he ever rose above the humble position in which we first 
find him. His name survives in a street in the western 
section of the city. The large family of Kcrtlands, and 
Kirklands (as the name is sometimes spelled), descended 
from him. John Thornton Kirkland, President of Har- 
vard College from 1810 to 18:^8, biographer of Fisher 
Ames and author of several other able but brief works, 
was a lineal descendant ; and the father of President 
Kirkland was Samuel, the distinguished missionary to 
the Oneida Indians, and founder of Hamilton College. 

Then there was Samuel Hart, who appeared here 
among the early settlers, being employed at the Iron 
works, and who became the head of a very respectable 
family. Edmund Hart, the architect of the fiimous 
frigate Constitution, was a descendant of his. 

We find John Gowan settled here at an early period. 
Among his descendants may be named Col. John E. 
Gowun, ))()ru in Lynn, and witlely known as the enter- 
prising engineer who, alter the Crimean war, was cm- 
ployed by the Russian government to raise the ships 
sunk in the harbor of Sebastopol, and who fur his 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 23 

services received honorable notice in addition to his 
pecuniary reward. In 1870, having returned from his 
successful labors, ho presented to the Lynn Light In- 
fantry a Russian twelve-pound brass field-piece, which 
was preserved as a remembrancer. 

Abraham Pierson, the first president of Yale college, 
was born in Lynn, in 1641. He was the son of a clergy- 
man of the same name, who, when the emigrants from 
Lynn settled on Long Island, went with them, preached 
to the Indians in their own language, and became the 
first minister of Southampton. Afterwards we find him 
among the first settlers of Newark, N. J. The chair in 
which President Pierson sat is still preserved by the col- 
lege, and on certain exceptional occasions is called into 
service. 

If it were allowable, examples like the foregoing 
might be multiplied to an indefinite extent. We should 
allude to Thomas Newhall, born in 1630 — the first 
white person who opened liis infantile eyes upon this 
troublous world, within our borders. A greater number 
of his descendants are now to be found in Lynn than 
of any other settler. And many from time to time have 
gone forth, with industry and enterprise, to do good 
service in the nation's progress ; here infusing energy 
into business callings, there subduing unreclaimed wilds. 

But we must content ourselves with introducing a 
single member — Dr. Horatio Newhall, who was born 
in Lynn, Aug. 'IS, 1798, graduated at Harvard with 
the class of which Caleb Gushing, George Bancroft, and 



24 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

Dr. Tyng were members, took his medical degree in 
1821, and very soon emigrated westward, in just a 
month after leaving Boston finding himself in the little 
French village of St. Louis, now one of the proudest 
cities of the American Union. In 1827 he appeared in 
the mining region of the Indian territory, and in 1830 
at Fort Winnebago, acting surgeon of the United States 
army. Two years after, he was again at Galena, and 
there had control of a general hospital, in the Black 
Hawk war. During the prevalence of the Asiatic chol- 
era at Rock Island, Gen. Scott wrote beseeching him to 
come and do what he could to arrest the progress of the 
pestilence. He went, and his services were commended 
as of great value. In 18G1-'6G, he was physician of the 
United States hospital at Galena. The first newspaper 
ever published north of the Illinois river — the " Miner's 
Journal" — appeared under his editorial charge. He 
died at Galena, Sept. 19, 1870, much lamented, having 
been an accredited member of the First Presbyterian 
church there for some thirty-five years. 

Next in order of the present numerical representation 
would come the name of Breed. Allen Breed settled 
here as early as 1630, and a creditable lineage claim 
him as their common ancestor. The elevation on which 
the battle of Bunker Hill was actually fought is said to 
have received its name from him. 

The genial William Wood, who was among the earli- 
est comers, must not bo forgotten ; for he may properly 
be ranked as the first historian of Lynn. He wrote the 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 25 

faDious " New England's Prospect," printed in London, 
in 1G34 — a volume of a hundred pages. Not many 
things had then happened in the settlements worthy of 
record ; hut his descriptions are lively and interesting, 
lie was quite a young man when he came ; and after 
going back to England and having his book printed, 
returned with his wife. lie represented the town in 
the General Court, in 1G3G ; but there is some doubt 
as to how many years he was in Lynn. He was some- 
what of a rambler : went with the party who settled 
Sandwich, in 1637; and finally, it has been stated, died 
in Concord, May 14, 1G71, aged eighty-six; but that 
would make him far too old at his first coming. There 
is some mistake in the figures, or the Concord resident 
was another man. An edition of his work was printed 
in 17G4, and another in 18G5. 

But it will not be possible to follow on the lines of 
many of the early settlers, however enticing the com- 
pany might prove. And perhaps, as the published His- 
tory of Lynn contains much information relating to the 
old families, it is unnecessary here. A passing word, 
however, may be permitted for a descendant of William 
IIewes, who was among the early comers. David Ilewcs, 
a native of Lynnficld, and a lineal descendant of William, 
was the individual who had the honor of driving the spike 
of solid gold which completed, on the Idth of May, 18G0, 
the great Atlantic and Pacific Railroail. Tlu' spik(\ 
however, was withdrawn for one less tenqiiini:: to pilf(>r- 
ing hands, and deposited iu the San Francisco niusiMun. 

4 



26 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

Having said something of the early ministers of Lynn, 
it is meet that the pioneers in the other learned profes- 
sions should not be passed by in entire silence. Half a 
century had elapsed before any regularly established 
physician was found here. The warfare against disease 
was carried on chiefly by roots and herbs and simple 
concoctions. Every prudent housewife preserved her 
odorous bundles, and when the time of need came made 
ready her ointments and other healing preparations. To 
this very day, in some of the ancient garrets the con- 
firmatory scents survive in the permeated rafters. From 
their Indian neighbors the settlers received much inform- 
ation regarding the use of the medicinal products of the 
meadows and woods ; and the preparation of some of the 
healing draughts and compounds thus derived may now 
bo considered as among the lost arts. 

In 1680, we find Dr. Philip Reed established here. 
But little is to be found by which to judge of his skill 
as a physician or of his standing as a man. He, how- 
ever, appears not to have been exempt from some of the 
superstitions and prejudices of his time ; for we find 
him, during the same year (1680), complaining to the 
court in Salem against Mrs. Margaret Gilford, a very 
respectable woman, for practising witchcraft; deposing 
that "he verily believed that she was a witch, for there 
were some things which could not be accounted for by 
natural causes." He might, of course, have been a 
good doctor while a believer in witchcraft ; for such 
was the common belief of the period. His complaint 



HISTOllICAL f^KETCII. 27 

against Mrs. Gifford, however, resulted in no serious 
injury to lier. 

Dr. John Henry Burciistead settled here in 1G85, 
being then a young man. lie was a native of Silesia. 
In IGOO he married widow Mary Kertland, and hy her 
hal two sons, also physicians, one of whom became a 
surgeon in the British navy. The doctor lived on the 
south side of Essex street, between High and Pearl streets, 
on the site afterward occupied by his son, Dr. Henry 
Burchstead, and more recently by Dr. Ilazeltine. It 
was the latter, Dr. Henry, who, when the whale seventy- 
five feet in length was landed on King's beach, Dec. 9, 
1755, rode with his horse and chair into his mouth, and 
subsequently had two of the bones set up as gate-posts 
at his residence, where they remained more than fifty 
years. Dr. John Henry continued in practice here some 
thirty-six years, and died Sept. 20, 1721, aged sixty- 
four years. His grave, in the Old Burying Ground, is 
marked by a substantial stone bearing this inscription : 

Silesia to New England sent this man, 
To do tlieir all that any healer can ; 
But he who conquered all diseases must 
Find one who throws hini down into the dust. 
A chemist near to an adeptist come, 
Leaves here, thrown by, his caput mortuum. 
Reader, physicians die as others do ; 
Prepare, for thou to this art hasteninj^ too. 

Near the close of the seventeentli century, Dr. John 
Caspar Riciiter von rRowMNscnELDT settled in the 
beautiful region of the Mineral spring, on oar iKirili- 



28 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

eastern border. It does not, however, appear that he 
came to practice as a physician. He is stated to have 
been educated at the University of Leipsic, and to have 
Qed from Germany on account of a duel. The noted 
Crowninshiekl fjxmily descended from him. Some of 
the apple-trees wliich he planted are said to be still 
standing. 

From the time of these pioneers in the healing art, 
Lynn has never been without skillful practitioners, and 
many of her sons have gone forth to do good service in 
the alleviation of human suffering. But we are admon- 
ished that space cannot be allowed for multiplied notices 
of individuals, however meritorious. 

And now a word in relation to legal practitioners. 
The first lawyer who settled in Lynn was Benjamin 
Merrill, who came in 1808, and opened an ofhcc in the 
southwesterly chamber of the house still standing on the 
corner of North Common and Park streets. He was a 
young man of fine talents and education, and, what is of 
the first importance in a lawyer, of excellent chaructor 
and good habits. He remained here, however, but a 
short time ; for a deputation of worthy citizens called 
on liini, with the modest request that ho would quit the 
town. They stated that theretofore they had jogged 
along in a reasonably peaceful way, but apprehended 
that as a lawyer he would bo likely to stir up strife, 
and do more harm than good. His ready reply was that 
he certainly should not remain where a vacancy was 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 29 

more desirable than his company, and immediately pack- 
ing up liis legal chattels, departed for Salem. And Lynn 
thus lost one who, without doubt, w'ould have done much 
to elevate lier name and add to her prosperity. He be- 
came eminent in his profession ; continuing in practice, 
at Salem, till the time of his death, July 30, 1847, at 
the age of sixty-three, having received the degree of 
LL. D. at Cambridge in 1845. He himself related his 
experience in Lynn to the writer, and added that, not- 
withstanding the uncivil nature of the invitation to leave, 
the luimor of the thing forbade his taking offence. He 
likewise added that the Lynn people, so far from exhibit- 
ing any personal ill-feeling, for many years intrusted 
hiiu witli much of their best business, which he endeav- 
ored to dispose of faithfully and to their satisfaction. 

Some four years after, that is, in 1812, Reuben P. 
Washburn commenced practice in Lynn. He, too, was 
a young man of excellent character, a graduate of Dart- 
mouth in the 1808 class, and had studied under Judge 
Jackson, of Boston. His office was in a chamber of the 
old Caleb Wiley building, corner of Western avenue and 
Federal street ; and he married a daughter of Rev. Mr. 
Thachcr, of the First Church, lie was a personal friend 
of" Judge Story and otlier cuiiiicut ukmi in law and letters. 
His [(nicru'c licre could not have been large, and in ISIT 
lie n-iiiovcd to Vcniiont, where he was soon elevated to 
the judicial bench, and to the end of his useful life main- 
taine(l ;iii unsullied reputation. He died in 18G0, at the 
age of seventy-nine. His son, Peter Thacher Washburn, 



30 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

born in Lynn, Sept. 7, 1814, died in office, as Governor 
of Vermont, Feb. 7, 1870. 

Governor Washburn graduated at Dartmouth in 1835, 
studied law at the Cambridge school, and was for eight 
years reporter of the Vermont Supreme Court decisions. 
He was likewise the compiler of digests and other useful 
legal volumes. On the opening of the war of the Rebel- 
lion he was commander of the Woodstock Light Infantry, 
and, on the first call of the President for troops, raised a 
full company and departed for the scene of strife. Soon 
after his arrival in Virginia he became acting colonel of 
the regiment of which his company formed a part. He 
was, however, soon called homo to assume the duties 
of Adjutant and Inspector- General of the State, and con- 
tinued in the office till the close of the war. In 1869 he 
was elected Governor ; but his health having been much 
impaired by arduous application to public duties, he bore 
the gubernatorial honors but a few months before being 
stricken down by death. He seems to have been a man 
of pre-eminent integrity and honor, both in his practice 
as a lawyer and in all his public offices ; and the enco- 
miums bestowed on him indicate a high appreciation on 
the part of those whom he so faithfully served. " He 
was," remarks the Vergennes Vermonter, "one of the 
few living illustrations of Phillips's positive men. They 
are rarely met with in public or private life. Vermont 
appreciated him, and he will be mourned as one of the 
few in public life whose sense of justice was stronger 
than personal preference or even the dictation of party." 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 31 

The Springrield (Muss.) Republican says: "It was in 
the odic^e of Adjutant-General that Gov. Washburn's 
fitness for public service was first made known to the 
pooplo. Ilis accuracy of dealing was as certain and as 
rigid as mathematics. The discharge of a public duty 
was with him reckoned among the 'exact sciences.' If 
he had been less honest than he was, he would still have 
followed honesty from sheer devotion to its . straight- 
forwardness, its absolute correctness. We speak of this 
characteristic, not to elevate it above his unimpeachable 
integrity, but because it is what marks him among gov- 
ernors, Vermont has had honest executives before ; but 
it has been some time Since she had a governor who 
governed, who picke<l up the loose ends in her admin- 
istrative departments and set everything in order. He 
was not only above jobbing and lobbying, railroad or 
otherwise, but he forbade his private secretary to use so 
much as a two-cent stamp of the State's property except 
for public purposes. With the same regard for the fit- 
ness of things, he introduced almost military formality in 
his intercourse with subordinates ; not that he was at all 
' set up ' by his position, but he would have order and 
system in everything, insisting on every man's knowing 
his proper place and his responsibilities." 

And licrc we must leave the legal line, regretting the 
necessity i»I" passing unnamed the numbers who have 
succeeded those spoken of, some of whom have acquitted 
themselves right worthily. 



32 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

But it may be asked, is it not claiming quite too much 
for Lynn to assume that the good deeds of descendants 
of her children, especially those who perhaps never knew 
their kinship, should be set down to her credit? Such 
a question, indeed, opens a wide and fertile field for 
the curious and questioning mind to disport in. Suc- 
cinctly it may be met by another question — for instance, 
Had not Thomas Parker and John Bancroft settled in 
Lynn, in the peaceful condition of farmers, and been 
surrounded by just such circumstances and influences 
as they were, would the world ever have known Theo- 
dore Parker the theologian or George Bancroft the his- 
torian? The virtues of the soil that nurtures a parent 
stock may invigorate the issue of the seed that becomes 
scattered to the four winds. Without our ancestors we 
should not have existed. Our lives are extensions of 
theirs, and necessarily affected by transmitted influences. 

But for such genealogical inquiries, suggestive as they 
are, little space can be afforded. It would not be unfit, 
however, here to name one other individual — William 
Gray, for so many years popularly known by the inele- 
gant contraction of "Billy" Gray, a lineal descendant of 
one of the early settlers, and himself born in Lynn on the 
27th of June, 1750. It is believed to have been uni- 
versally conceded that, for a considerable period during 
the latter part of the last and the beginning of the 
present century, Mr. Gray was the most prominent and 
successful merchant of which New England could boast. 
His commercial lines extended to every continent ; and 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 33 

he had at one time not less than sixty sail of square- 
rigged vessels in service. In wealth he probably had 
no equal east of New York ; and, notwithstanding his 
great losses under the decrees of Bonaparte and his 
sufferings from the embargo, remained in undoubted 
credit, never flinching in his support of the latter, as 
a political measure, unpopular as it was in the com- 
mercial districts of New England. In 1810 he was 
elected Lieutenant - Governor, and remained in ofBce 
two years. His dignity of manners and unswerving 
truthfulness insured him great respect, and his wealth 
enabled him largely to gratify his naturally generous 
inclinations. He died in Boston, Nov. 4, 1825, having 
lived there nearly twenty years, and left several sons 
and a daughter, all maintaining positions of the highest 
respectability. At present several of his descendants 
are occupying stations of honor and usefulness. 

Having alluded to a few of the worthy men among the 
settlers of Lynn, and their descendants, it is fitting that 
at least one or two of the women should not be passed 
by unnoticed. Mrs. Whiting has been spoken of. Then 
there was lier neighbor, Lady Susan IIumfrev, wife 
(tf .loliii lluiiifrey. They came in 1G34. She was a 
(hiughter of the Earl of Lincoln, ami, as Mather remarks, 
*'of tlie best family of any nobleman then in iMiu'lanil." 
It does not appear, however, that she w.is a woman 
of any extraordinarily high endowments, anil she seems 
to have been ([uite unable to adapt herself, like Mrs. 



34 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

Whiting, to the condition of things here. She became 
weary, lonely, and homesick ; and with lier husband 
returned to England in 1641, leaving children who in 
after years had sad cause to lament the loss of a mother's 
care and training. Mr. Humfrey was a man conspicu- 
ous in Old as well as New England, and had aspired to a 
governorship in the West Indies ; but being baffled in 
his expectations there, and losing much of his property, 
like many others of feverish ambition, he returned to his 
native land disappointed and dejected. During his short 
sojourn here he was active in public duties and enter- 
prises, and acceptably filled high offices of trust — was 
an Assistant and Major-General of the Colony. But the 
enduring footprints which his talents, his rank, and his 
acquirements qualified him to impress on the virgin soil 
of America are not to be found. The discontents and 
chafings of his wife, to which writers have alluded as in 
a large measure accounting for the failures of his life, 
while not accepted as sufficient, cannot be regarded as 
without serious influence. 

A large portion of Mr. Humfrey's estate was sold to 
Lady Deborah Moody, who came here in 1640. She 
belonged to a noble family, was an active and influen- 
tial spirit, and had given some trouble to the authorities 
in England, persisting, in opposition to the statutes, in 
residing from her own home. On the 21st of April, 
1639, the Star Chamber ordered that " Dame Deborah 
Moody, and the others, shall return to their heredita- 
ments in forty days, in the good example necessary to 



IIISTOllICAL SKETCH. 35 

the poorer classes." Lechford, the good ohl London 
hiAvyer who came to Boston in 1G38, and unsuccessfully 
attempted to live by his profession there, says : " Lady 
Moody lives at Lynn, but is of the Salem church. She 
is, g'oo-1 lady, almost undone by buying" Master Ilum- 
frey's farm." She soon became obnoxious to the people 
of Lynn by her opinions touching baptism, maintaining 
that the baptism of infants was unwarranted and sinful. 
For this, and certain antinomian views which she was 
forward to express and maintain, she was excommuni- 
cated and retired to the Dutch on Long Island. She 
was a woman of great worth and considerable w^ealth, 
and through her means and energy of character would no 
doubt have proved a most valuable member of this little 
community, had their religious predilections allowed her 
to remain unmolested. After settlinc: on Lono: Island 
she suffered greatly by the depredations and attacks of 
the Indians, her house being several times assailed. 
The Governor of New York was greatly indebted to 
her in a pecuniary way on various occasions, and readily 
accorded to her some important privileges, showing in 
many forms his confidence in her integrity and merits. 
She was one of ihc }iatentees of Gravesend, in King's 
county, the patent being from Governor Kieft, and 
written in Dutch and English. 



CHAPTER II. 

The Settlement receives its Xame of Lynn — Ancient and Honor- 
able Artillery Company, with Notice of Lynn Members — 
Merrimac and Saugus Rivers — Iron Works — Lynn made a 
Market Town — Material and Moral Condition of the Settlers 
— Administration of Andros, with Notice of Randolph's Peti- 
tion for a Grant of Nahaut, and the Town's Action Thereon. 

The enactment of the General Court, in 1637, chang- 
ing the name of the settlement from Saugus to Lynx, is 
so brief that space may be allowed for its insertion in 
full ; and here it is : " Saugust is called Lin ' ' — only four 
words, with no modern decoration of a single Wliereas or 
Aforesaid. A good specimen of the ancient direct and 
crisp style of legislation. As before remarked, the name 
of Lynn came from Lynn Regis, in Norfolk, England, a 
place which for centuries had been of some note, if not 
of great importance. It is situated near the point where 
the Ouse enters the ocean, and is supposed to have de- 
rived its name from its site, lehn, in the ancient language 
of Britain meaning "spreading waters." Others, how- 
ever, claim that the name came from the Saxon len, 
a farm or tenure in fee ; though the same word was 
sometimes used to signify church lands. In Doomsday 
Book, A.D. 1086, the place is caUed Lenne. Early in 

[36] 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 37 

the seventeenth century it l)clonged to the see of Nor- 
wicli, and was then named Bishop's Linne ; but when 
the revenue of the bishopric came into the hands of the 
king, it was known as King's Lynn, or Lynn Regis. 
Most commonly, from that time to the present, it has 
been called simply Lynn. 

The famous military organization now known as the 
Ancient and Honorable Artillery was formed in 1638. 
Daniel Howe, of Lynn, was chosen Lieutenant, and there 
were five others from the town in the ranks. Lieut. Howe 
seems to have been a man of determined character ; in 
action bold, perhaps somewhat rash. He commanded 
the vessel that in 1G40 took the Lynn emigrants to 
the western part of Long Island. On their arrival, 
the Dutch laid claim to the territory on which they 
located, and set up the arms of the Prince of Orange 
on a tree. Lechford says, "Lieut. Howe pulled down 
the Dutch arms," and Winthrop adds that in place 
thereof an Indian drew "an unhandsome face." These 
proceedings came near resulting in serious difficulty. 
But Kieft, the Dutch governor, exercised his authority 
with forbearance, and the matter was presently adjusted. 
In Wood's Sketch of Long Island, the affair is succintly 
stated in this manner : "13 May, 1G40, Gov. Kieft sent 
Cornelius Van Ten Iloven, the secretary, the under 
sheriff, a sergeant and twenty-five soldiers to Scout's 
Bay, to break up a settlement of the English, who had 
torn down the state's arms and carved a fool's head on 



38 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

the tree. The party set out on the 14th and returned 
on the 15th. They found a company of eight men, and 
a woman with an infant, who had erected one house and 
were engaged in erecting another. The party hrought 
six of the men to the Governor. On examination it 
appeared that they came from Lynn, near Boston. . . '. 
After they had been examined, and signed an agreement 
to leave the place, they were dismissed." 

Military discipline was of the first importance in those 
days of alarm, and the "Military Company of the 
Massachusetts," as the Ancient and Honorable was first 
called, was projected as a sort of school for tactics. 
For many years it was regarded almost with awe. But 
its usefulness for the original purpose has long since 
ceased, though as a semi-social organization it is still 
held in high repute. 

Geological indications, it has long been maintained, 
strongly support the belief that, at a remote period in 
the past, the Merrimac river, after entering Massachu- 
setts from New Hampshire, instead of pursuing its pres- 
ent course by Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill, and 
discharging its waters at Newbury port, followed the 
more direct line to Lynn, there casting in its contribu- 
tion to the Atlantic. It would be profitless here to 
attempt a disquisition on the interesting topic, or to talk 
of what might have been ; but this we know, the western 
border of Lynn is now for a long distance traversed by 
the merry little Saugus, and much that is interesting 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 39 

ill our local history is connected ^vitli that picturesque 
stream. Formerly, the border territory of Lynn ex- 
tended miles beyond the river ; but solitary settlements 
grew into hamlets, they into villages, and, becoming 
ambitious of separate municipal honors, were erected 
into towns. 

It was in 1643 that Iron Works were established on 
the margin of this little river, by a respectable company 
in England ; and they were the first, it is affirmed, in all 
America. It was once claimed that the works in Brain- 
tree, in Norfolk county, were commenced a year or two 
earlier, but the later researches seem to place beyond a 
doubt the priority of these at Lynn. Smelting, forging, 
and casting were pursued for some years, the bog-iron 
found in the vicinity furnishing the raw material. Vari- 
ous other kinds of work in metals and simple machinery 
appears also to have been carried on at the establish- 
ment, to a limited extent, and probably somewhat by 
individual enterprise. There were well-skilled workmen 
here ; and that the undertaking was considered of great 
public importance is manifest from its frequent mention 
in the Colonial Records, and the occasional enactments of 
the General Court in its favor. It is stated that the dies 
f)r the first coins ever siruck in Nortli Aiiiorica were 
pr('[»areil hero, iiain(>ly, (he famous pine-tree shillings, 
sixpences ;m"l tliree|>eiices, of 1052. It is likewise 
claimed that liere, loo, was constructed the first fire- 
engine evi'r made in America. The modern style of 



40 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

tliat useful implement of husbandry, the scythe, seems 
to have been invented by a noted workman here ; and 
the Court granted him a seven years patent for his 
" engine for the more speedy cutting of grasse." The 
old English scythe had a short, straight handle, like a 
bush cutter. In a letter dated Sept. 30, 1648, Win- 
throp remarks, "The furnace runs eight tons per week, 
and their bar iron is as good as Spanish." 

But pecuniarily the Iron Works do not appear to have 
answered the expectations of their projectors. The cus- 
tomers had very little ready money ; and, though the 
manufactured articles were offered at a cheap rate for 
coin, yet, as the General Court curtly told them in an 
admonitory letter, an ax at twelve pence was not cheap 
to one who had not twelve pence wherewith to buy it. 
And then again, they were very soon involved in vex- 
atious and expensive lawsuits — those pernicious luxuries 
in which projectors of new enterprises are so apt to in- 
dulge. Hubbard says that, "instead of drawing out 
bars of iron for the country's use, there was hammered 
out nothing but contention and lawsuits." However, 
they continued in a lingering way for many years, when 
the fires of the forges were finally extinguished, the 
clink of the hammer ceased, the begrimmed workmen 
departed, the buildings were razed, and the heaps of 
scoria only remained, for creeping vegetation in the slow 
march of years to envelop in a vesture of green. And 
these cinder banks, as they are called by the dwellers 
about there, have remained, for more than two centuries, 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 41 

to this Centennial Year, now apparently grassy hillocks. 
The curious sometimes dig through the shallow covering 
of soil which conceals these scores of tons of slag, in 
which frequently are found bits of charcoal as fresh in 
appearance as when ejected from the sooty portals ; and 
occasionally pieces of iron casting. 



In 1G46 Lynn became a Market Toavn ; that is, it is 
presumed, a town in which, on an established day of 
each week, an open market was held for the sale and 
exchange of commodities — an arrangement by which 
the settlers from the dilferent neighborhoods could meet 
at a fixed place and barter their spare productions for 
others of which they were in need, there being scarcely 
any money in circulation. The settlers here must have 
lived comparatively well, so far as food was concerned ; 
better, no doubt, than many on the fr.)ntiers. Their 
nearness to the sea enabled them at all times to draw 
supplies of excellent fish. The children, even, could 
resort to the clam banks, which never refused a generous 
discount, and to the lobster rocks. There were small 
farms in every direction, and the farmer and the fisher- 
man fraternally exchanged the products of their industry, 
lu the brawny arm of tlie settler, as we thus see, his 
wealth was chiefly found. Tliere were few speculations 
to be resorted to for sudilcn gain — or loss ; and, as steady 
employment is a great [irmnolor of contentment, not 
many discontented spirits aiipcarrd roving about to the 
disturbance of the busy worktu's. 

6 



42 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

Did space permit, it would be pleasant to linger a 
while in the company of the old settlers ; to observe their 
simple manners, their recreations, their domestic arrange- 
ments. We should find that, after all, their feelings, 
thoughts, and aspirations were of the same nature as our 
own. The old souglit quietude and repose ; the middle- 
aged were ambitious toilers ; the youthful loved, wedded, 
and retired to their -own firesides ; the children had their 
sports and bickerings. But sometimes things wore a 
disturbing aspect. There were fears of bloody incursions 
by the red men ; much land remained to be laid open to 
the vivifying influences of the sun ; there were no manu- 
factures, and the garments they brought with them were 
" patch upon patch." Yet their spirits were buoyant in 
the exercise of the freedom denied them in the land they 
had left, and in full faith that they were laying the 
foundations of a great soci;d fabric. It is undoubtedly 
true that the settlers early conceived the idea of inde- 
pendence. In Cromwell's time, New England came very 
near being actually recognized as an independent com- 
monwealth. Evelyn, who was a member of the English 
Board of Trade and Plantations, says in his journal, under 
date IGTl : " Tliere was a fear of their breaking from all 
<l('[)('U(U'nc(' ou this nation." And Edward Randolph, in 
1077, ill answering some iii([uiries touching the disregard 
of Massacluisetts lor th(3 British Navigation Laws, says : 
" All nations have free liV)erty to come into its ports and 
vend their commodities without any restraint ; and in 
this as well as other things that Government would make 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 43 

the world believe they urc a free State, and do act in all 
matters accordingly." 

The moral condition of the people was, without doubt, 
more than ordinarily elevated, though still ranging con- 
siderably below perfection. Among the early comers 
were a few turbulent spirits, whose purpose was rather 
to avoid the restraints of their old homes than to gain 
any good in their new. By the Colony Records it is made 
evident that there was considerable intemperance. Some 
of the drinks the sale of which is now proscribed by what 
are called the prohibitory enactments of the New England 
States, wore then freely used. Tea and coifee were not 
known hereabout before the eighteenth century, and malt 
liquors were in common use. Lynn, as well as every 
other town, had her places for "breeding malt," to use 
the ancient phrase; and the "Industrie" was encour- 
aged. Then the cheap distillations from the West Indies 
began to appear as soon as there were people enough 
to induce the avaricious English, Dutch, and Spanish 
traders to visit the coast ; the Indians as well as the 
abandoned whites being ready to dispose of anything 
they possessed in exchange ior the "fire-water" for 
wliirh they liad such intolerable thirst. There was also 
consideral)l(j [(rofauily and slanderous small talk, as too 
ccriaiidv apix'ars \)V (he records ; lor the courts IIk'U took 
coii'uizaucc of a urrat luaiiv tliiiius tliat woiiM imw b;' 
passed bv as idle tattle. IJilt, oil tile wlioje, it lliav lie 
fairlv cdainie(l that the colonists, as a iieojih-, w< re jiioiis, 
industrious, and pi'inleiit in speech ;in'l hcli.ix i(ir. 



44 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

Our ancestors appear wisely to have considered that 
next to religion, outside of labor for the bare neccessities 
of food, clothing, and shelter, education was the thing most 
needful ; and hence we find that primitive scat of learn- 
ing, the little red- top school-house, early nestling in the 
hollow or adorning the hillside. The rudimental branches 
neces-;ary in the management of the limited business af- 
fairs of the day were freely taught ; but Latin was with 
many deemed of leading importance ; indeed, it was 
recognised by the General Court as highly beneficial in 
contests with " the old deludor, Sathan." A mysterious 
apprehension seems to have existed that the arch-enemy's 
assaults could be most sucpessfully resisted by wordy bat- 
teries in that language. And, by the way, it should 
ever be borne in mind, while considering most points in 
the early history of New England, and endeavoring to 
ascertain the underlying purpose of many eccentric legis- 
lative acts, that the belief in the personal and direct 
interference of the evil one in the affairs of men prevailed 
throughout the christian world. We, of this day, dis- 
believe in such personality ; or, if we pretend otherwise, 
allow no practical operation to our pretension. The 
great witchcraft outbreak of 1G02 — called the Salem 
Witchcraft, though violently disturbing other places as 
well — would never have taken place without that idea 
of the black man roving up and down with the red book, 
seeking out such weak mortals as would pledge them- 
selves to surrender to him their souls at death, for the 
privilege of invisibly plagueing their enemies while here 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 45 

on earth. Without explanations arising from the belief 
here indicated, many of tlie strange episodes in oar early 
history would remain void of intelligible elucidation. 
And it ill-l)ecom('s one generation to ridicule the faith of 
another ; for it does seem as if, in the revolution of ages, 
essentially the same conceptions re-appear as surely as 
the cycles of the seasons recur. 

During the disordered period of the Administration of 
Sir Edmond Andros, the people of Lynn were seriously 
agitated, and determined, with patriotic zeal, to main- 
tain their rights, politically and personally ; for it soon 
appeared that, besides the oppressive measures which 
affected the whole people, some local interests were 
endangered. Edward Randolph, the Governor's se(r- 
retary, petitioned for a grant of the beautiful peninsula 
of Nahant, which then formed, and remained till 1853, 
an outlying district of Lynn. Notice was sent to the 
town that if any one had a claim to the land he might 
appear before the Governor and Council on the 7th of 
March, 1G88, and exhibit the same, and show why the 
land should not be granted to the petitioner. Quite a 
ferment followed ; for it was well known that Randolph 
was in high favor with Andros, who would do all he could 
to further the interests of his favorite. The principal 
inhabitants engaged in an active defence. They urged 
tliat the l.tnd had been honestly purchased of the natives, 
and tti sonic exliMit improved fin* more than fifty years. 
They showed that it was divided into planting lots, by 



46 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

vote of the town, as early as 1656 ; that it was fenced ; 
that lots were manured and planted, and a few tenements 
erected ; that, by hard labor and at considerable expense, 
it had been brought from its originally barren condition 
to be of real value for planting and pasturage. The 
effrontery of the petition was well calculated to irri- 
tate, aside from the wrong of having their property thus 
unceremoniously wrested from them. For some time the 
danger seemed imminent, for Randolph was a wily man- 
ager, able and plausible. The petition, however, was 
finally dismissed, and the town breathed freely once 
more. But the proceedings were such as in no measure 
to allay the great and growing prejudice against the 
Governor. And in 1689, when the uprising people made 
him a prisoner at Fort Hill in Boston, the minister of the 
Lynn church. Rev. Jeremiah Shepard, led on a small but 
determined band of participants. In a paper in Lambeth 
palace, which is thought to have been written by Ran- 
dolph himself, occurs this passage: "April 19th, about 
11 o'clock the country came in, headed by one Shepard, 
teacher of Lynn, who were like so many wild bears ; and 
the leader, mad with passion, more savage than any of 
his followers. All the cry was for the Governor and Mr. 
Randolph." 

In the extremity of affairs, a Committee of Safety for 
the county of Essex was appointed. And to this com- 
mittee the people of Lynn made a formal statement of 
the prominent causes of complaint ; which statement 
may be found in the History of Lynn. 



CHAPTER ni. 

Lynn in Time of Indian Incursions and Wars — Glimpse of the 
Place in 1750 — Dag^u-, the Shoemaker, Comes — Character of 
the Early Shoe Business — Condition of Things in Revolution- 
ary Times, and Patriotism of the People — New Life after the 
Revolution. 

Though Lynn, from, the peculiarity of her location, 
was never herself in much danger from savage incur- 
sion, she always manifested the most lively sympathy for 
the border settlers who were so constantly exposed to un- 
heralded descents of hostile Indians, with tomahawk, 
scalping-knife and torch. For the relief of the sufferers 
she was ever ready to contribute from her slender means, 
and to despatch her brave sons for the dismal campaigns. 
As early as 1036, in the great Pequot war, Capt. Na- 
thaniel Turner of Lynn, who afterwards became so con- 
spicuous iu the hi.story of Connecticut, commanded a 
company. Lideed it was by this means that Lynn lost 
t]i(? wortliy Captniii, for during the campaign he arrived 
upni Icrritory umre to liis liking than his (»ld lionie, and 
n'iii(i\('il al'lcr the close: of tlic war. lie was one of the 
lomidcrs (tf \r\v llaxcn, ami pun lia^cd ['ntm (he Lidians 
the (cnitiiry n<»\v ncciiiiicd by the hcaiitiiul town of Stam- 
ford. His ImIc was niclaiiclioly. He sailcil for I'Jigland 

L»7J 



48 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

in January, 1648, in the interest of the colony, in a ves- 
sel which was never heard of afterward. And when the 
famous phantom ship appeared off the harbor of New 
Haven, the next year, and so suddenly faded away, it 
was thought to be a miraculous indication of the fate of 
the vessel in which he had embarked. 

In a second expedition, in 1637, Lynn furnished twen- 
ty-one men, the largest number sent by any place herea- 
bout, excepting Boston, from which twenty-six went. In 
1675, when the renowned King Philip took the field in 
that final struggle, Lynn readily supplied her full quota, 
several of her promising youth falling in battle — two, 
with the "flower of Essex," at the memorable Bloody 
brook ambuscade. In these and other Indian and French 
wars the soldiers were compelled to endure hardships and 
face dangers which no other wars in this quarter of the 
world have known ; but they marched on to final triumph. 

A glimpse of Lynn, in the middle of the last century, 
may be obtained from the travelling notes of a New York 
merchant, who journeyed east in 1750. He says he put 
up at Mr. Ward's in " Lyn, which is a small country 
Towne of ab*^ 200 Houses, very pleasantly situated, and 
affords a Beautifull Rural Prospect." He arrived at 
about one o'clock, " and dyned on fryd Codd." After 
dinner, being refreshed by a glass of wine, he pursued 
his journey to Salem, "through a barren, rocky coun- 
try," and the next day, after visiting Marblehead, re- 
turned to Boston, stopping again at Mr. Ward's in Lynn, 
where he " dyned upon a fine mongrel goose." 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 49 

It was in 1750 that a Welsh shoemaker, named John 
Adam Dagyr, settled in Lynn. He was a remarkably 
skillful workman, and took great pains to instruct others. 
He was an enthusiast, in his way, and became noted, far 
and near, as " the celebrated shoemaker of Essex." It 
is often curious and not unprofitable to trace in a commu- 
nity the development of some great matter to its small 
beginning ; to see, in the simple efforts of an obscure in- 
diviihial, the germ of a great enterprise. The shoe and 
leather trade is at this day the most important branch of 
industry in all New England ; and the most surely re- 
munerative, not to say enriching. Lynn is, and ever has 
been, since the days of Dagyr, at the head of that trade ; 
and had not this poor Welshman, for he was poor and 
died in the almshouse, settled here at the time he did, it 
is not at all probable that the city would ever have occu- 
pied the position she now does. At that time she had 
not attained any prominence in population or trade ; a 
number of sister settlements had quite outstripped her, 
owing, perhaps, chiefly, to their maritime advantages. 
There was nothing noteworthy in her position or condition. 
Dagyr had so strong a desire to excel in his employment 
that he is represented to have sometimes procured 
English or French shoes, and in presence of brother 
craftsmen dissected thcni to discover the hitldcii sources 
of their oxcellcuce, Uy his clVorts the Itusiucss began to 
take root and llniirisli. Several who could couunaiid a 
small (■a[)i(al coniuiciu'cd niauiiracturing for the Boston 
market, and even for more distant places, and soon the 
7 



50 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

trade began to overshadow all other industrial pursuits. 
We find the Boston Gazette saying, October 21, 1764, 
"It is certain that women's shoes made at Lynn, do now 
exceed those usually imported, in strength and beauty, 
but not in price." And the editor facetiously adds, " the 
northern colonists have sense enough, at least the sense of 
feeling ; and can tell where the shoe pinches. The deli- 
cate ladies begin to find by experience that the shoes 
made at Lynn are much easier than those of the make of 
Mr. Hose of London." 

For many years the trade was carried on in an humble 
way, as of course the demand was limited. The manu- 
facturer, with perhaps a journeyman and an apprentice 
or two, pursued his labors in a shop of some ten by twelve 
feet, and once a week or so proceeded to Boston on foot 
with the products of his enterprise in a bag on his shoul- 
der ; or if his trade had been large enough to warrant 
the additional expense, with a horse and saddle bags, or 
one of the primitive wheel carriages then in use, return- 
ing at night with a provision of stock for the coming 
week, and possibly with a little ready money. These 
were the days of small things in this now vast business ; 
yet they reach down to the time of the Revolution, to the 
archetype of this great Centennial Year. 

The common course of things had been much the same 
in Lynn as in other non-commercial settlements, through 
Colonial and Provincial times, down to the Revolution. 
Mechanics had come in as their labor was demanded, and 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 51 

all ordinary needs couM ho supplied. The tillage lands 
yield ('(1 lair (■ro[)S, tlie sea casting up large quantities of 
niaunn', wh'uli tlic husbandman could take at the mere 
cost of transportation; and the fisherman was reasonably 
sure at all times of an adequate reward for his labor and 
peril. Several towns had been settled by emigrants from 
the place, and these liad extended the acquaintance and 
social and material interests, in various directions. Read- 
ing, Wakefield, Sandwich, Yarmouth, Hampton and 
Amherst, in New England, and Southampton and other 
places on Long Island, owed in a large degree their ex- 
istence to emigrants from Lynn. 

The people appear generally to have been satisfied that 
on the whole their condition was a favorable one, though 
it is undeniable that not only the excitable spirits, but 
the sober and considerate were at times agitated on po- 
litical questions, and entertained serious forebodings. 
They breathed the free air of the hills, and with every 
inspiration a restlessness of restraint was nurtured — the 
free air, unburdened by old traditions, unhampered l)y 
fetters of sycophantic obedience ; and hence, as before 
remarked, the idea of political independence was very 
early conceived. It can be traced all along ; even in the 
roving speech of the village orator in his town meeting. 
Yes, the Town Meeting, that precious New England in- 
stitution in which every citizen was at liberty to raise 
his voire in the discussion of all measures and devices 
affecting the public interest ; where all were on a lev(d, 
and where old and young, rich and poor, appeared in 



52 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

watch and ward of right and freedom. But as popula- 
tion increased, the town meeting became unwieldy and the 
city council took its place. The people of Massachusetts 
were very slow in coming to look with favor on the city 
form of government. There was no city in the state, till 
1822, and then Boston, with a population of 45,000 re- 
luctantly became one; but it seemed to many like barter- 
ing safety for convenience. 

We were speaking of things as they existed about rev- 
olutionary times. Daily wants were to be supplied and 
daily exertion, in a material way, was necessary. The 
people were industrious, rising early and laboring dili- 
gently. Very few indeed were exempt from the neces- 
sity of personal exertion. That an immense amount of 
hard work was bestowed on the land was attested by the 
extensive arable fields that had been cleared, their pro- 
ductive condition, and the miles of cobble-stone wall by 
which they were surrounded. That peculiar kind of 
fencing which still adorns the landscape at least in most 
parts of eastern New England is unknown in many parts 
of the land. In the outlying portions of Lynn, there 
still remain extensive ranges which were laid by the 
hardy hands of the early inhabitants, as their mossy and 
weather-stained fronts abundantly attest ; and while look- 
ing upon them one is not only reminded, in a sentimental 
way, of the toil expended in their erection, but also in a 
practical way, that they afforded a convenient appropria- 
tion of wast(; material that cumbered the land. Our 
ancestors, to use a common figurative phrase, were accus- 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 53 

toined to l)ring down as many l)irds witli one stone as 
they could, and hero was a cheap, daral)lo and easily- 
repaired fencing that could be erected by comparatively 
unskilled hands from material tliat needed removal from 
the land. 

For many years large quantities of flax were raised 
in Lynn, and used in the domestic manufacture of a very 
durable though not particularly smooth or handsome kind 
of cloth. The fields looked extremely picturesque when 
covered with the long supple stalks, crowned with blue 
blossoms. The flax was rotted in the pond on the north- 
eastern border of the town, still known as the Flax 
pond ; and in almost every family were to be found the 
break, the hatchel, and the little spinning wheels. Many 
of the latter are still preserved as curious relics of the 
old times ; wheels wdiich once soberly revolved at the 
touch of the gentle dame, or gaily whirred at the 
laughing maiden's tap. And where are they now — the 
laughing maiden and the gentle dame ? 

It is not necessary to remark that though for some 
years premonitory symptoms of revolution had become 
more and more marked, actual hostilities were precipi- 
tated by tlie unwise imposition of taxes hy the home 
government — hy stamp duties, duties on tea and other 
articles of daily use — by the Boston Port Bill and by 
the Boston Massacre, By the txix on tea, especially, the 
pe()[)U' ol" Lyim ucic much cxcittMl. Tlicy ludd town 
meetings and passed resolutions strongly coudeninatory 



54 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

of the act, and enjoining abstinence from the use of the 
article. They voted that no person should hold any office 
of profit who would not discountenance its use ; and that 
no taverner or retailer should be recommended for a license 
who would not do the same. They also resolved, "That 
we highly disapprove of the landing and selling of such 
teas in America, and will not suffer any teas, subjected 
to a particular duty, to be landed or sold in this town ; 
and that we stand ready to assist our brethren of Boston 
or elsewhere, whenever our aid shall be required, in re- 
pelling all attempts to land or sell any teas poisoned with 
a duty." Other significant resolutions were passed; 
one, unanimously, that " We will use our endeavors to 
promote our own manufactures amongst us." Mr. Lewis 
mentions that during the tea fever, a report having been 
put in circulation through the town that Mr. Bowler, who 
had a bake-house and a little shop on Water Hill, had a 
quantity of tea in store, a company of women went to 
his house, demanded the tea, and destroyed it. But he 
quietly adds that it was asserted that the women put on 
extra pockets on the memorable night, which they filled 
with the fragrant leaf for their own private consumption. 
It is well attested that at least two Lynn men were actors 
in the great tea-steeping feat in Boston harbor, on the 
night of December IG, 1773 — Abner Cheever was one ; 
and from his shoe, on his return, was taken a quantity 
of the tea which is still preserved. The same Mr. Chee- 
ver, now known historically as Col. Abner Cheever, was 
in the battle of Bunker Hill, and there received a bullet 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 55 

ill liis iiock, whicli was never extracted, though he lived 
many years. 

And coming down to the gloomy days of the war, we 
find Lynn in no sense lagging behind in the patriot's 
march. She can boast of having furnished two Colonels, 
three Captains, five Lieutenants, a number of non-com- 
missioned officers and not less than a hundred and fifty 
privates for the Continental army. Four of her sons 
were killed in the battle of Lexington, a fact showing 
that she was awake and stirring at the very dawn of the 
great conflict. Among the four who lost their lives on this 
memorable occasion was Abednego Ramsdell, who, as he 
was hastening along, was hailed by a woman in the neigh- 
borhood who warned him not to go, as she had a presenti- 
ment that he would never return. He kept on, remarking 
that ho might be killed, but he hoped not till he had had 
a shot at a redcoat, to make the account square. 

At the battle of Bunker Hill the Lynn regiment was 
commanded by Col. John Mansfield. On the second of 
August, 1770, the town furnished a company for the ex- 
pedition to Canada, and allowed ten pounds oacli to such 
as enlistiMl. In the winter of 1777 two young men from 
Lynn diiMl on board tlic loathsome Jersey prison ship in 
New York harbor. In 17S0 (lie town granted so much 
money a> would punliase twenty-seven hundred dollars, 
to jiay the soldiers. And within two vears they granted 
scNcral llioiisaiid |Mmii(ls, old tenor, for tlu' same purpose. 
And she lo,-l, (imiiig the war, fil'ly-six of her promising 



66 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

sons. These are but a few of the incidents, of the same 
character, that may be found recorded ; but they are 
sufficient to indicate her hearty co-operation in all patri- 
otic measures. 

It would be gratifying, did space allow, to give sketches 
of some of the local patriots of those days, recalling not 
only valiant achievements on the field, but noble acts in 
the more retired lines of duty. There was Landlord 
Newhall, who kept the tavern on the Boston road, just 
west of Saugus river, taking charge of that noted estab- 
lishment in 1774. Before his time, a pictured lion and 
unicorn decorated the sign-board that swung from the 
ponderous oaken arm in front of the house ; but he soon 
replaced those emblems by the more hopeful representa- 
tion of a rising sun. He was an abundant provider, 
social in his habits, and unwearied in his efforts to render 
his house an attractive traveller's home. The poor of 
the neighborhood and the indigent wayfarer he freely re- 
lieved ; and to the sick and wounded soldier his door was 
ever open. In connection with the tavern he carried on 
a farm ; and his business, on the whole, was quite ex- 
tensive. It was not uncommon for an entire company of 
hungry soldiers, and not unknown for even a regiment, 
to make their appearance and halt for a meal. And they 
were always welcome. To provide for such emergencies, 
he kept on hand- fatted oxen which might bo promptly 
slaughtered, the beef being at once disposed of in great 
boilers prepared expressly for the cooking ; his large 
kitchen garden, represented to have occupied some six 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 57 

acres, furnishing the vegetable accompaniments. The 
whole establishment was kept under his immediate su- 
pervision ; and for some years he is said hardly ever to 
have retired to a bed for rest, but to have slept in an 
easy chair. His patriotism was certainly healthy, though 
perhaps displayed in an eccentric way. 

Lynn suffered man»y privations during the war, but 
rose with an unsullied name at its triumphant close, hail- 
ing with joy unspeakable the sun of liberty as its vivify- 
ing beams shot through the land, and feeling a hearty 
consciousness that she had done her part in the attain- 
ment of the glorious result. 

With the close of the Revolution the people entered 
upon a new and more energetic life. Yankee character 
began to develop with greater freedom, individual enter- 
prise to receive a new impulse, commercial pursuit and 
mechanical ingenuity to arouse to greater activity. Yet, 
as war is always demoralizing in its effects, it cannot' be 
denied that for many years the pious and sober-minded 
had cause to lament over the condition of things. And 
then the agitations incident to the formation of our po- 
litical institutions were allowed to divert the mind in a 
large degree from every interest of a less obtrusive char- 
acter — from schools, from many of the ordinary appli- 
ances for intellectual advancement. Not that this was 
universally the case ; to suppose that would 1)0 to ignore 
a vital point in New Englan<l character. It wa> not 
long, however, before the elaslicitv of the (rue American 



68 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

spirit began to assert itself, the higher purposes of life 
to be more fully recognized, and those ameliorating 
measures to be put in operation which have resulted in 
so many blessings to the succeeding generations. And 
how noble a thing it would be for the human race, if all 
wars could result as beneficially as the American Revo- 
lution. 



CHAPTER lY. 

The Shoe Business, since the Revolution, its Progress and Pres- 
ent Condition, with Notice of the Introduction of the Morocco 
Manufacture by Ebcnezer Breed — Patriotic Action of Lynn in 
Time of Sliays's Rebellion, in the Building of the United States 
fort ill Boston Harbor, in 1812, and in the South Carolina Nulli- 
lication, in 1832 — Lynn, During the War of the Rebellion — 
Death of President Lincoln — Decoration Day — Soldiers' Mon- 
ument — First Celebration of Independence, in Lynn — Centen- 
nial Observance, 1816 — Social and Pecuniary Condition of 
the People. 

Soon after the close of the Revohition the Shoe Manu- 
facture was fully established and reckoned the leading 
employment of the place. And some of the shrewd 
business men, seeming to have a prophetic vision of the 
position it was to occupy in future years, set about placing 
things on as firm a foundation as possible. Among the 
most efficient laborers in that behalf was Ebenezer Breed, 
a native of the town. He made himself acquainted with 
all that was to be learned in Lynn, and while yet a young 
mail went to Philadelphia, where he engaged in a profit- 
able business connected with the trade here. In 1702 
he visited Europe, and not only sent over quantities of 
the better and most fashionable kinds of shoe stock, but 
also some skilled workmen to instruct the operatives at 

[59] 



60 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

home in the more elegant mysteries of the art. He 
seemed determined to prove that as fine and substantial 
sh'^os could be made in Lynn as in Europe ; and lie suc- 
ceeded. Eat the business in a measure languished, for 
shoes could be imported from England and France and 
sold cheaper than the manufacturers here could afford 
them. Finding such to be the condition of things, Mr. 
Brce;l, in conjunction with some others in the trade at 
Philadelphia, set about endeavoring to induce Congress, 
which then held its sessions in that city, to impose a 
duty on imported shoes sufficient to protect the home 
manufacture. They resorted to a little shrewd manage- 
ment to effect their purpose. Among other schemes a 
dinner party was given ; for they well knew that an 
appeal to the stomach is in many cases more irresistible 
than an appeal to the head. Sundry members of Con- 
gress were invited to the banquet, as well as divers 
charming ladies ; among the latter the celebrated Dolly 
Payne, afterward Mrs. President Madison. Mr. Madi- 
son himself, who was an influential member of Congress, 
was also there. One or two of the ladies appear to have 
been aware of the ulterior purpose of the party, and 
were not averse to assisting in a good cause. It need 
only be added that a very satisfactory act was passed, 
and Lynn rose on the event. 

To Mr. Breed also belongs the honor of having intro- 
duced the manufacture of morocco leather into the coun 
try. And for his success the National Committee of 
Commerce and Manufactures gave him a vote of thanks. 




vjrfll 




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HISTORICAL SKETCH. 61 

But like many others who have pursued the public good 
rather than their individual interest, Mr. Breed was 
called to endure the frowns of fortune, not unlikely 
through his own indiscretion. Many of his last years 
were passed in want and misery, and he died in Lynn 
almshouse in 1839, at the age of seventy-four years. 

The manufacture of morocco and other kinds of shoe 
leather was well established in Lynn by the beginning 
of the present century, and has kept pace with the shoe 
manufacture, though not requiring near the number of 
hands nor the amount of capital in its prosecution. 
Great quantities of cloth stuffs have been used from the 
beginning of the trade, some of very rich and costly 
kinds. The manufacture in Lynn has heretofore been 
confined almost exclusively to ladies' wear ; lately, how- 
ever, more attention has been given to men's work. 

The introduction of machinery has within a few years 
very much changed the mode of operation. Instead of 
the ten by twelve one-story shops, before alluded to, 
which were seen in every neighborhood, and in which 
the workmen in crews, as they were called, of half a 
dozen, pursued their labors, lightening the long hours 
of toil l>y animated discussions on every great interest 
of state and every little matter of local gossip, we now 
behold towering, in the most central quarters, huge four 
or five sSirv manufactories in which the ceaseless rum- 
bling <»1" niacliiiicrv is heard, and in whicli hundreds of 
operatives, ni.ilc and i'cnialc, are asseniltlcd wilh Itusy 
hands and silent tongues. In the oM tinie, the workman 



62 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

took from his employer, or boss, as he was called, suffi- 
cient stock to work upon for a week, completing each shoe 
from the lasting to the final polishing with his own hands, 
and on Saturday night returned the product of his week's 
handiwork, receiving his pay, possibly in a little money, 
but chiefly in family supplies. But in these improved 
times he goes daily to the great factory, with his dinner 
basket, perhaps, applies himself to a special part of the 
shoes, never with his own hands completing one entire ; 
and at the close of the week receives his pay in money. 
The airy freedom of the old days has ceased, and the 
operative cannot now feel that he is master of his own 
time, at liberty to go on a sailing or a woodland frolic 
whenever he chooses, or get up a high-toned discussion 
with a fellow workman whenever his ideas on any sub- 
ject, religion, politics, science, or what not, become so 
rarefied as to need ventilation. And what has he in re- 
turn? The discipline of the present sort of compulsory 
industry is no doubt beneficial to the semi-vagrant class, 
and those indolently inclined. But others naturally chafe 
a little under the feeling that they are not quite suffi- 
ciently respecting their own dignity. 

The revolution in the mode of manufacture, brought 
about by the introduction of machinery, has no more 
marked feature than the division of time into seasons of 
intense activity, followed by seasons of almost perfect 
quietness. Orders can be so rapidly filled, that when 
few or none are waiting the manufacturer does not work 
along, accumulating a stock in expectancy. With the 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 63 

prudent and considerate operative these times of rest 
from regular employment are turned to good account ; but 
to the improvident and irregular they are anything but 
beneficial. 

The shoe business, like all other industrial occupations, 
is subject to seasons of great prosperity, followed by sea- 
sons of great depression. But on the whole it is enrich- 
ing, as the very aspect of Lynn sufficiently shows. The 
manufacturers here are enterprising, and some have 
abundant means. All the improvements in machinery 
and promising plans of operation are quickly adopted ; 
and while such energetic action continues there seems no 
reason to fear a recession of the business. 

It is not worth while to attempt minute details respect- 
ing the trade ; but its growth and present condition may 
be sufliciently seen by a few simple statements. In 1810 
there were manufactured here just about 1,000,000 
pairs, and they amounted in value to some $800,000. 
The earnings of the female binders reached $50,000. 
Twenty years later, that is, in 1830, the number of pairs 
made was, in round numbers, 1,670,000, Lynnfield having 
been set off in 1814 and Saugus in 1815. Twenty-five 
years later, that is, in 1855, we find tli(3 number of pairs 
to have been 9,275,593, Swampscott having been set off 
in 1852 and Nahant in 1853. From 1865 to the present 
time there have been made upon an average not less 
than 10,000,000 of pairs a year, making 110,000,000 
for the eleven years. And so many of these are of costly 
kinds that it is fair to place the average value at $1.20 



64 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

a pair. The shoes are disposed of for the New England 
trade, and largely at the South and West. Not many, 
as yet, go to foreign countries ; but it is a favorite idea 
with some that the great World's Exhibition at Phila- 
delphia, during this Centennial Year, will bo the moans 
of opening a way for Lynn products to reach many 
foreign markets ; indeed, the good effects are already 
beginning to be manifest. These few facts are sufficient 
to give an idea of the great Shoe Trade of Lynn. 

We have seen something of the readiness with which 
Lynn did her duty in the old Indian and French wars, 
and in the Revolution. To the State and National Gov- 
ernments she has ever been loyal, never omitting to raise 
her voice and her arm when needed. In 1798, when 
our troubles with France seemed fast ripening into open 
hostilities, the citizens, at a legal town meeting, adopted 
the following spirited address to the President and 
Congress : 

To John Adams, President, the Senate and House of Representa- 
tives of the United States of America : 

At a period which so seriously arrests the attention of every 
American, and true friend of his country, as the present, the in- 
habitants of Lynn, in the State of Massachusetts, feeling it to be 
their duty, and impressed with the just, wise and prudent admin- 
istration of the Executive and the rulers in general of the Ameri- 
can republic, ardently embrace an opportunity to announce their 
determined resolution to support their constitution and govern- 
ment, with all they hold most sacred and dear. Convinced as we 
are, that the President has, by fair, unequivocal, and full instruc- 
tions, which he has given to our envoys, to adjust and amicably 



mSTORICAL SKETCH. 05 

accommodate all existing difficulties between the United States 
and the French republic, done all consistent with the honor, 
dignity, and freedom of liis country, to preserve peace and good 
understanding with that nation. Notwithstanding our envoys are 
commissioned with full power to settle all animosities with the 
French agents, upon the broadest basis of equity, they are treated 
with neglect — refused an audience, lest their reasonings should 
show to the world the integrity of our government and disclose 
their iniquity. 

Legislators, Guardians I The most nefaritjus designs have been 
plotted to subvert our government, subjugate the country, and lay 
us under contribution ; but thanks be to the Sovereign of the uni- 
verse, that we do not experience the fate of Venice, nor groan 
under the oppression of subdued nations. We are a free people, 
have a sense of the blessings which we enjoy under that liberty 
and independence which wo have wrested from the hand of one 
king, and will not supinely submit to any nation. 

We wish not again to behold our fields crimsoned with human 
blood, and fervently pray God to avert the calamities of war. 
Nevertheless, should our magistrates, in whom we place entire 
confidence, find it expedient to take energetic measures to defend 
our liberties, we will readily co-operate with them in every such 
measure ; nor do we hesitate, at this interesting crisis, to echo the 
declaration of our illustrious chief, that "we are not humiliated 
under a colonial sense of fear ; we are not a divided people." Our 
arms are strong in defence of our rights, and we are determined 
to repel our foe. 

To this address, President Adams promptly replied as 
follows : 

To the Inhabitants of Lynn, in (he Slate of 3Iassachusetts : 

Gentlemen : Your address to the President, Senate and IIouso 
of Representatives, adopted at a legal town meeting, has been 
presented to me by your Representative in Congress, Mr. Sewall. 

When the inhabitants of one of our towns, assembled in legal 

form, solemnly declare themselves impressed with tlie wise, just 

and prudent administration of their rulers in general ; and that 

Ihey will support their constitution and g<.»vernment with all they 

9 



66 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

hold most sacred and dear, no man who knows them will question 
their sincerity. 

The conviction you avow that the President has done all, con- 
sist(Mit with the honor, dignity, and freedom of his country, to 
preserve peace and good understanding with the French, is a grat- 
ilication to me which I receive with esteem. 

As the treatment of your envoys is without a possibility of jus- 
tification, excuse, or a[)ology, 1 leave it to your just resentment. 
Your acknowledgement of the blessings you enjoy, under your 
liberty and independence, and determination never supinely to 
surrender them, prove you to deserve them. 

John Adams. 



Ill the famous Shays's Rebellion, which commenced in 
the central counties of Massachusetts, in 1786, Lynn soon 
had a- body of volunteers on the marcli, and in January 
of the next year voted that one pound be advanced to 
each soldier, in addition to the " wages given by the 
court." It was likewise voted that the town pay each 
man " his Avagcs in specie, that goes for the town, when 
tlu^y know what wages the court allows to each man and 
will take the wages of the court themselves." And a 
further vote was passed requiring the selectmen to call 
on the collectors for funds to farnish the soldiers with 
camp utensils and provisions. And if they could not get 
sufficient from the collectors, they were authorized to 
hire money, giving their notes in behalf of the town. 

At the building of the United States Fort in Boston 
harbor, during the war of 1812, some eighty-five of the 
patriotic citizens of Lynn volunteered to labor on the 
works for a day. Early in the morning they left town 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. ' 67 

with drum and fife, rode to Winnisimmct ferry, and were 
thence taken by boats to the fortification, where they la- 
bored industriously all day. They reached home about 
nine o'clock in the evening, pretty well exhausted, but 
gratified by the thanks of the authorities. 

The night of the first of June, 1813, was one of great 
sadness in the town, for on that day, from the hills and 
housetops, great numbers had witnessed the battle be- 
tween the Chesapeake and Shannon, and with unfeigned 
sorrow seen the stars and stripes strike to the red flag of 
Britain. 

Ill 1832, when the South Carolina Nullification fer- 
ment so disturbed the country, and seemed fast ripening 
into a gigantic rebellion, the people of Lynn were for- 
ward in expressing the most loyal sentiments, though 
their interests were thereby imperilled ; for the people 
of that state were owing our manufacturers large sums, 
and some of our most enterprising young men were in 
business there. When the stern and untemporising proc- 
lamation of President Jackson arrived in town, the ut- 
most satisfaction was manifested by every one. It was 
applauded by all parties. On the evening of Christmas 
(hiy a meeting of the citizens was held in the Town Hall, 
composed of Democrats, National Repulilicans, Anti- 
masons, and all shades of Independents, at whirji as 
patriotic sjx'cclies were iittrnMl as ever vawj; in that 
faniuus foniiii ; tlic result beiu_^- the uuaniuious a(l(>[)- 
tion of the following preamble and resolutions, which, 



G8 HISTORICAL eKETCH. 

it will bo observed, have no tuiiit of States' Rights doc- 
trine : 

At a time of unprecedented prosperity in agriculture, commerce 
and manufactures, in our happy Union, and this Union purchased 
with a great treasure, and cemented with the blood and tears of 
our progenitors, and habowed by our own devout prayers, aspira- 
tions, and labors, we, the citizens of Lynn, learn with sorrow that 
our sister State, South Carolina, once so patriotic, has assumed 
false principles, and, pretending peace, made warlike preparations 
to dissolve the Union so dear to the people in most portions of the 
nation. We cannot consent to the proposition, in fact we do not 
believe, that any State of the twenty-four States now solemnly 
united, can withdraw her allegiance to the United States, when- 
ever she may please, or dictate to the Congress of the United 
States the laws which should be enacted or repealed, any further 
than the weight of the representatives of such State may prevail 
in the acts and deliberations of that body. 

But since the acts of the State of South Carolina have under- 
taken to decide the constitutionality of the laws of Congress, and 
upon the same principle all other laws of the United States, when 
such decision is wholly confided to, and intrusted in, the Supreme 
Judicial Court of the Union, by the United States constitution, to 
which every citizen of the twenty-four United States owes abso- 
lute and unqualified allegiance, and since sach principles of Nulli- 
fication and misrule prevail by a majority of the citizens of one 
State, and are openly approbated, and not reprobated, by some 
other States, wo are alarmed for the safety of the Union, and our 
own, and in common, for the liberties of the people. 

It is with satisfaction that we have read the Proclamation of the 
President of the United States denouncing the treasonable designs 
and acts of the Convention and Legislature of the State of South 
Carolina. The Proclamation is replete with true sentiments upon 
the construction of the Federal Constitution, of the power and 
duty of the President, and of the Supreme Judicial Court of the 
Union ; which sentiments we, in common with our brethren of 
this State, have been educated, from the cradle to the present 
time, to cherish and love ; and we will never abandon them. 
Therefore : 



HISTORICAL HKETCII. 69 

Resolved, That >vo abhor and denounce the doctrine of Soutli 
Carolina Nullilication, and the awkward and unnatural attitude in 
which tshe has placed herself before tlie Union and the world. 

Resolved, That we approve of the sentiments and principles 
spread before the public by the President in his late able Proc- 
lamation, and believe it to be the duty of all good citizens to 
support such sentiments and principles to the hazard of life and 
property. 

Resolved, That in all cases in which the construction of the 
Federal Constitution is drawn in question, the Supreme Judicial 
Court of the United States is the sole interpreter. 

Resolved, That no individual State or any individual of any 
State has a right to declare void or nullify a single act of the Con- 
gress of the United States ; and that the several States, and each 
and every citizen in them, owe allegiance to the United States, 
which cannot be dissolved, excepting by a majority of the voices 
of the people of the whole United States, constitutionally and 
legally expressed. And, further, 

Resolved, That a copy of the foregoing preamble and resolu- 
tions be signed by the chairman and secretary, and transmitted 
to the President of the United States. 

And then to come down to tlic days of the great 
Southern Rebellion, which was but the product of prin- 
ciples enunciated in nullification times. AVliere do we 
find Lynn at that stirring period ? In five hours after 
the requisition of President Lincoln arrived, she" had two 
full companies armed and ready for duty. And in a 
forenoon railroad train on Tuesday, April IG, only four 
days from the attack on Fort Sumter, the first overt act 
of the Rebellion, these companies departed for the South. 
They formed part of the Eighth Massachusetts Regi- 
ment, afterward so conspicuous, and were commanded — 
the Lynn Light Infantry, Company D, by Capt. George 
T. Newhall, and the Lynn City Guards, Company F, by 



70 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

Capt. James Hudson, jr. The regimental officers be- 
longing to Lynn, were, Timothy Munroe, colonel ; Ed- 
ward AV. Hinks, lieutenant colonel ; Ephraim A. Ingalls, 
quartermaster ; Roland G. Usher, paymaster ; Bowman 
B. Breed, surgeon ; Warren Tapley, assistant surgeon ; 
Horace E. Munroe, quartermaster sergeant. And it 
would be highly gratifying in this connection to give the 
name of every one who so promptly responded to the 
nation's call in that her hour of peril. But it is neces- 
sary to be frugal of our space ; and it is not, perhaps, 
a positive duty, as they may all be found on accessible 
records. Many more volunteers stood ready and would 
gladly have gone, had there been time for equipment. 
This is shown by the terse despatch sent to headquar- 
ters — ' ' We have more men than uniforms — what shall 
we do ? " Enthusiastic war meetings were immediately 
held, funds raised, and enlistments rapidly proceeded 
with. In short, no place in the whole country more 
promptly or energetically answered to the different calls 
for recruits. During the war Lynn furnished 3,274 
men for the field — 230 more than her full quota. 

On Sunday afternoon, August 31, 18G2, services at 
the different churches were omitted, that the clergy and 
people might attend a great War Meeting on the Com- 
mon. A large gathering took place, and stirring speeches 
Avere made by ministers and others, interspersed by mar- 
tial music. But to describe all the moving incidents of 
those memorable days — the funeral honors paid to the 
remains of slain soldiers — the labors of the women as 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 71 

wt'll ;is tluj incii in tlio collection of clotliing, of iiieili- 
cines, of baudn^ucs, and other supplies — the public re- 
joicings over the Union successes, with bonfires, music 
and processions — would require a volume. In one 
word, it may be said that Lynn cheerfully and promptly 
did her duty and her whole duty. 

Monday, April 3, 18G5, was a day of unfeigned re- 
joicing, the news being then received of the fall of Rich- 
mond, the last stronghold of the Rebellion. Hands 
grasped hands in fervid congratulation, bells were rung, 
cannons fired, flags raised and bonfires lighted. Many 
buildings were finely illuminated, although the news was 
not confirmed till toward night. Bonfires appeared on 
several elevations ; a very conspicuous one on Sadler's 
Rock burned the whole night, and having been composed 
largely of resinous material, remains of it appear at this 
Centennial Day. High Rock also had a fiery crown. 
One week after occurred the final day of those rejoicings, 
which could not have been otherwise than clouded some- 
what by doubts and misgivings, and mourning for the 
fallen. The tenth day of April was given up to exult- 
ation over the surrender of General Lee. The outward 
display was, however, somewhat checked by unfavorable 
weather. 

News of the assassination of President Lincoln was 
received in Lynn on Saturday morning, April 15, 18G5, 
and becoming insignia of sorrow immediately appeared. 
The Mayor issued a request that all places of business 
should br rlttscil at uooii, which was readily acceded to, 



72 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

and mourning drapery was freely displayed. The City 
Council was convened early in the afternoon, and adopted 
resolutions expressive of a deep sense of the country's 
bereavement. On Sunday the churches appeared in 
mourning, and appropriate services were held. 

Ever since the close of the war, the thirtieth of May 
has been known as Decoration Day — the day on which 
the graves of the soldiers are strewed with flowers, by 
their surviving comrades, and services held, commemo- 
rative of their deeds of valor. 

In this connection it may be stated that the elegant 
and costly Soldiers' Monument, in Park Square, de- 
signed by the accomplished sculptor, John A. Jackson, a 
native of Maine but now a resident of Florence, Italy, 
was dedicated on Wednesday, September 17, 1873. 
The day was pleasant, and Lynn perhaps never before 
witnessed a grander demonstration. A long procession, 
consisting of the city government, military organizations, 
secret societies, benevolent associations, the fire depart- 
ment and others, marched through the streets, along 
which many buildings were beautifully decorated, the 
City Hall especially being enrobed in flags, with streamers 
and various emblematic devices. The dedicatory ser- 
vices were held on a platform erected for the purpose, in 
front of the City Hall, and consisted of excellent music 
by the Lynn Choral Union, an earnest dedicatory prayer 
by Rev. Mr. Biddle of the First Universalist Church, an 
admirable address by Col. E. P. Nettleton, and a fine 
poem by Mr. Edward P. Usher, all of Lynn. This beau- 



HISTORHWL SKETCH. 73 

tiful monument — boaiitiCiil not only in its classic con- 
ception l)ut as a work of art — consists of a massive al- 
legorical ,iirou[) ill Iii'oiizc, on a ponderous granite base. 
The casting was executed at Munich, in Bavaria, and 
the whole cost was .$30,000. 

The FiPtST Celebhation op Indei'ENdence, in Lynn, of 
which we have any circumstantial account, took place in 
1804. Tliere was a procession, an oration, and the ever 
attractive adjunct of a good dinner. The little liall in 
the \vest wing of the once famous Lynn Hotel was the 
scene of the gastronomic entertainment, and w^ine and 
spirits freely flowed, for public opinion had not at that 
time become so chastened as to demand total abstinence 
from intoxicating drinks on such occasions. It would, 
however, be unreasonable to conclude that there was no 
celebration of any kind before this. The day must have 
been noticed in some way, if not by any stirring public 
display. Since that time celebrations have frequently 
taken place, though not always, especially of late years, 
with high-wrought demonstrations. The proximity of 
Lynn to Boston, and tlie facilities of reaching the metrop- 
olis to witness the celebrations there, has no doubt had 
tlie effect to qualify the observances here. 

Tlio great Centennial Year — 1870 — was not cel- 
ebrated in Lynn witli any pom[) or pageantry, though 
the day did not i)ass unobserved. Before morning 
dawned, ardent youth were alert and eng.ige 1 in the 
usual preparatory demonstrations ; bells rang, fire arms 

10 



74 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

cracked and bonfires blazed. In the forenoon there was 
an assemblage in the First Methodist Meeting-house, at 
the east end of the Common, where a semi-religious cel- 
ebration took place under the general direction of Rev. 
Charles D. Ililh, minister of the society, who com- 
menced the services by a pertinent address. An invoca- 
tion was then offered by Rev. John S. Holmes, of the 
East Baptist church. This was followed by the reading 
of a hymn, by Rev. Alonzo Sanderson, of Trinity Meth- 
odist church, and the singing of the same by a select 
choir. Rev. Charles W. Biddle, of the First Univer- 
salist church, then read the thirty-first Psalm. Prayer, 
by Rev. Albert H. Currier of the Central Congregational 
church, next followed. Then Rev. Louis DeCormis of 
St. Stephen's, Episcopal, church read a hymn which 
was sung by the choir. And following these exercises 
were a series of brief addresses, chiefly by laymen of the 
city, on various appropriate topics, viz : 

Ex-Mayor Thomas P. Richardson, on " The Day we 
Celebrate." 

Ex-Member of Congress, John B. Alley, on "The 
United States of America." 

Rev. Daniel Steele, of St. Paul's, Methodist, church, 
on " Christianity and Our Country." 

Nathaniel Hills, Principal of the High School, on 
" The American Public Schools." 

Ex- Judge Thomas B. Newhall, on "The American 
Judiciary." 

Ex-Postmaster George H. Chase, on " Massachusetts." 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 75 

James R. Nowliall, on " Tlio Centennial History of 
Lynn." 

Ciipt. George T. Newhall, on " Our Army and Navy." 
To John F. Donolioe, a member of the City Council, 
was assigned the subject of " Our Adopted Citizens," 
but he was excused on account of the limited time. 
Mrs. Abbie L. Harris read the Declaration of Independ- 
ence. Hon. Jacob M. Lewis, Mayor of the City, was to 
have been present and deliver an address on topics con- 
nected with our municipal affairs, but was detained by 
family affliction. Ex-Mayor Roland G. Usher, who had 
also l)cen invited to speak, was unable to be present, but 
sent a patriotic letter, which was read. The " Star 
Spangled Banner" and "America," those national 
hymns, so appropriate to the occasion and so dear to the 
patriot's heart, were sung, and the meeting closed by a 
benediction pronounced by Rev. George F. Eaton, of 
the South Street Methodist church. 

At the close of the Revolution the Population of 
Lynn was just about 2,000 ; and from that time forward 
there has been a steady but not usually a rapid growtli, 
as will be seen by tlie tabular statements on another page. 
The city is now, in point of population, the sixtli in Mas- 
sachusetts, and tlie forty-nintli in the Union. Among 
the population, according to census details recently jv.ib- 
lished, tlun-e are, in round numbers, 5,700 of ioivign 
birth. In very few towns near the seaboard of New 
England has such an e(|ualit v in the social antl [x-cnniaiy 



76 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

condition of the people been preserved. We have had, 
at least till within a few years, hardly any wealthy people 
among us. Through our whole history, almost every one 
has depended upon his own exertions for maintenance, 
none being very rich, none very poor. In this respect 
there has been a marked difference between Lynn and 
those sister settlements which early engaged in commer- 
cial pursuits ; and consequently there are not now to be 
found here any of the decaying remnants of old aristo- 
cratic families, as they are called, which formed a more 
pretentious class at home and gave a more extended 
name abroad. But ours, acccording to the pronounced 
opinion of political economists, has been the most happy 
if not the most distinguished condition. A change, how- 
ever, has taken place within a few years ; and such, in 
the natural course of events, was to be expected. Pop- 
ulation and trade increase, and wealth accumulates in in- 
dividual hands, giving means to gratify taste and the 
love of display, and humor the cravings and bewitch- 
ings of ambition. 



CHAPTER V. 

Territorial Situation of Lynn — Romantic Localities — Moll 
Fitcher — Geological Features — Flora — Ponds — Brooks and 
Springs — Shores and Beaches — Modern ITousehold Con- 
veniences — Facilities for Travel — Exemption of Lynn from 
Destructive Visitations — Ilistory of Lynn — Visits of Indiana 

Lynn is delightfully situated on the northern shore of 
Massachusetts Bay, some ten miles from Boston. Very 
few places in the whole land can furnish such variety and 
beauty of scenery, such exquisite views of ocean, of 
woodland, of " town, of village, dome and farm," as 
here abound. Among the hills and dales, too, are places 
of historic and romantic interest, points about which the 
student or tlio lover may linger in (piiet enjoyment. The 
Pirate's C(1(mi and Dungeon Rock have for generations 
.•itfractcd (lie steps of those who are liirci] by the myste- 
rious cr wild. Around the latter, especially, liav(> Ixmmi 
woven diiik legends of tragic deeds and bmicil treasure. 

Tlie Dungeon Rock has been for more than twenty 
years the scene of persevering labor witli drills and gun- 
])()wd('r, sii[t(r\is('il by su[)pos«'d sjtirilual ade[its, iu the 
bopc ol' rcatbing, som(>w]ierc in the l)()\vels of the obdu- 
rate grccMs'onc ledge, g;'!d and j.wcls, deposited ihcre 

1 77 J 



78 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

by piratical hands, the pirate himself having been inhumed 
with his treasures by an earthquake, in 1G58 ; the tena- 
cious operators paying no regard to the ancient witch- 
warning that runs : 

" Now wo betide the daring fool 
who seeketh that gold to win ; 
Let mortals beware of the noble wretch 
who standeth that grave within." 

Lynn has not only possessed much of the romantic in 
scenery, but something of the romantic in character. 
One personage, of world-wide reputation, is brought to 
mind in this connection — Moll Pitcher, the fortune- 
teller. After practicing her occult profession here for 
some fifty years, she died in her lonely hill-side cot, on 
the ninth of April, 1813, at the age of seventy-five 
years. Her maiden name was Mary Diamond, and she 
was connected with good families. She appears not to 
have possessed vicious tendencies, nor to have practiced 
her arts with a design to injure any one ; made no 
pretension to supernatural assistance, and was shrewd 
enough to avoid entangling explanations. She possessed 
marvellously keen perceptive and reflective faculties, but 
had not much education. Her wonderful success in her 
mysterious vocation, attracting as it did visitors from all 
parts of the country and even from foreign lands, one 
might suppose would have secured to her all the com- 
forts if not the luxuries of life. But she lived in a most 
humble way ; and though probably never in actual want, 
was often in an inconvenient emergency. Some were 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 79 

surprised at this ; others asserted tliat besides tlic sup- 
port of lier family she had pensioners on her benevo- 
\ruvo whose names nmiained unknown. That she had a 
licart easily touched by the sigh of bereavement or pov- 
ert}', and a hand ready to do its utmost for the relief of 
suffering, cannot be doubted. Her blunt but honest and 
often witty replies to anxious inquirers the writer has 
lieard quoted by those who knew her well ; for instance, 
her answer to the visitor who offered her an extra fee if 
she would tell him what ticket would draw a high prize 
in a certain lottery : " Do you think," said she, " if I 
knew^ I would not buy it myself? " 

To the GEOLOGIST, Lynn furnishes an interesting field 
for research and contemplation. Almost with awe he 
gazes upon the bold porphyry cliffs that rear their frown- 
ing forms at intervals, as if stationed to guard against 
the assaults of the ocean. High Rock, near our terri- 
torial centre, is 170 feet in height, and affords compre- 
hensive views of the city and adjacent settlements, and 
a charming panorama of marine and landscape scenery. 
Then there are Forest Rock, Lover's Leap, Sadler's 
Rock, and many other hoary-headed buttresses, the last 
named reaching, within a few feet, the height of High 
Rock, all presenting varied and delightful views, and 
all seeming to be outcroppings of an immense body of 
porphyry underlying the frontal range of hills that trav- 
erse the inland ijonlcr of the settled part of the city. 
A short distance back and adjoining this porphyrytic 



80 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

line, we find a granite region, which in the future will, 
doubtless, furnish much material for building. Collec- 
tions of granite boulders, some of many tons weight, 
lie here and there in such situations and profusion as to 
lead the imagination to conceive of a shower of enor- 
mous rocks passing over toward the sea, a concep- 
tion strengthened by the fact that along the shores and 
about Nahant are to be found great numbers of these 
erratic specimens. They were probably landed here 
during the far-off glacial period. The famous Dungeon 
Rock is of greenstone ; and of that extremely hard form- 
ation other examples arc found among the hills — some 
detached portions having the ring of steel. Various 
other specimens of rock formation are to be found in 
Lynn, but further enumeration might prove tedious in a 
sketch like the present. 

And now a word touching the Flora of Lynn. In 
1858, Mr. Cyrus M. Tracy, an old resident of the city, 
and one well qualified for the task, published a valuable 
work on the subject, containing abundant evidence that 
to the botanist a most interesting field for investigation 
is here presented. The variety of soil being very con- 
siderable, the productions of course are quite diversified. 
Many valuable medicinal plants are found in the woods 
and meadows, and many a hillside and rocky pass is 
adorned by the wild rose and her brightly blooming 
retinue. The old forests have in a great measure been 
swept away, but offspring of the original habitants of the 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 81 

soil still retain a foothold iu divers sections ; and many 
acres of unrecljiimed swamp and many a glen and stony 
recess is still flanked by almost impenetrable cntangle- 
monts, wliore, even at this day, a hale old rattlesnake 
may occasionally be found disputing the woodman's right 
of way. The author of New England's Prospect thus 
discourses of the growth found here : 

Trees both in hills and plaines, in plenty be, 

The king liv'd oake, and mournful cypris tree, 

Skic-towering pines, and chestnuts coated rough, 

The lasting cedar, with the walnut tough ; 

The rosin-dropping firr for masts in use ; 

The boatmen sceke for cares, light, neat grown sprewse, 

The brittle ash, the ever-trembling aspcs, 

The broad-spread clme, whose concave harbors waspes ; 

The water-spongie alder, good for naught. 

Small elderne by th' Indian fletchers sought. 

The knottie maple, pallid birtch, hawthornes. 

The iiornbound tree that to bo cloven scornes, 

Which, from the tender vine oft takes its spouse, 

Who twinds imbracing armes about his boughes. 

Within this Indian Orchard fruits be some, 

The ruddie cherrie and the jettio pi umbo. 

Snake muthering hazcll, with sweet saxaphrage, 

Whose spumes in beerc allays hot fevers rage, 

The diars [dyer's] shumach, with more trees there be, 

That are both good to use and rare to see. 

While rambling over these hills, clambering among 
the rocky passes, and pausing amid the old pines, the 
mind may well be excused for casting a glimpse forward 
and asking, in view of the rapid outspreading of popu- 
lation, it", in the progress of the century now just en- 
tered upon, these woody and rocky ranges will nut be 
11 



82 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

occupied by streets lined with habitations and clogged 
by busy traffic — their romance gone, their robes of ra- 
diant autumn foliage forever doffed, their far-off views 
obscured, save of the blue vault above. 

The beautiful Ponds with which Lynn is so well pro- 
vided, not only adorn and enliven the landscape, but 
furnish an abundant supply for various uses in daily life. 
They likewise yield large quantities of excellent ice which 
is cut and stored for summer use ; and for winter sports 
they furnish most attractive fields. 

And the little Brooks that flow hither and thither on 
their winding paths to the ocean, are daily reminders of 
the old times when they turned the mills that ground the 
corn that made the bread our fathers ate. The first mill 
was on Strawberry brook, and built in 1G33. It was an 
important event in our history. The slow process of the 
Indian method of making meal by pounding the corn 
would never do in a community where there were such 
imperative demands for work invohing something more 
of the intellectual. The services of the Indian in such 
purely physical labor, it is true, could be had, if had at 
all, at a cheap rate, but industry was not reckoned by 
him as a remunerative virtue. 

Lynn is likewise well provided with Springs of excel- 
lent water, and the sweating toiler in woods and mead- 
ows may slake his thirst by as cold and pure a draught 
as can be desired. Our old friend William Wood speaks 
of the water in this rapturous style: "It is farr dif- 



TIIRTORICAL SKETCH. 83 

fcrcnt from tho wuter.s of England, being not so sharp 
])iit of a fatter substance, and of a more jettie colour ; 
it is Ihouglit tliere can bo no l)etter water in the world ; 
yet dare [ not prefer it before good beere, as some have 
done ; but any man will choose it before bad becre, whey 
or buttermilk." 

Tlie most noted springs, historically, now within our 
borders, are Ilolyoke and Mineral. The former is in a 
meadow in the western section, in land granted to the 
worthy oil settler, Edward Ilolyoke, before spoken of, 
and is what is known as a boiling spring. It never 
freezes, nor does it ever fail. Mineral Spring is near 
our north-eastern border, on the margin of a lovely pond. 
It was early noted for its medicinal qualities, being im- 
pregnated wdth iron and sulphur. The waters were for- 
merly much esteemed for their good effects in scorbutic 
and pulmonary diseases. The celebrated Cotton Mather 
was led to extol their virtues from their benefit to 
himself. 

And here may perhaps properly be introduced some 
noticeable individuals in the animate department of the 
natural history of this vicinage, a department which has 
not thus far, in these pages, received much attention. 
And this shall* be dnno through an old writer who cdiooses 
the form of poetry in presenting his samples. The elfu- 
sion seems to liavc [)roceeded from a frank and contented 
mind, and evidently ndates to times nimli later than 
those in which .Mr. Wodd wrote. The stvle of verse in- 



84 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

dicates that. Indeed, it might apply to the beginning 
of the century the close of which we are now cele- 
brating ; and the surmise that it was intended so to apply 
is strengthened by the circumstances under which it was 
found. Verse was a favorite mode of expression with 
many descriptive writers, and usually had the merit of 
condensation, if void of poetic glow. At the present 
time there is very little in our woods to attract the 
sportsman ; but the sea still yields her treasures, and 
many a poor man draws a family meal thence, and from 
the clam-banks. 

I'll tell of what hath bin and is, 

by God his wondrous grace, 
Of beast and bird, reptyle and fish, 

in this once barb'rous place. 
Some of the nobler game erst found, 

within these forests wide, 
The moose, the beaver and the deer, 

no longer here abyde ; 
Nor growling bear, nor catamount, 

nor wolf, do now abound, 
But raccoons, woodchucks, weasels, skunks, 

and foxes yet lurke round. 
And in the broocks and ponds still rove, 

the turtle and musk-ratt, 
The croaking paddock and leap-frog ; 

and in the air, the batt. 
Serpents there be, but poys'nous, few, 

save horrid rattlesnakes ; 
And adders of bright rainbow hue, 

that coyl among the brakes. 
And then of birds wee have great store ; 

the eagle soaring high. 
The owl, the hawk, the woodpecker, 

the crow of rasping cry. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 85 

The partridge, quail, and wood-pigeon, 

the plover and wild goose, 
And divers other smaller game, 

are liere for man his use. 
And many more of plumage fair, 

in coo and song are heard ; 
The whippoorwill, of mournful note, 

the merry iiummiiig bird. 
In bog and pond the peeper pipes, 

at close of springtide day ; 
And fire-dies daunce like little stars 

along the lover's way. 
Nor must wee from our list leave out 

the stores of savory fish, 
That fill the ponds and fill the sea, 

and make the dainty dish. 
The codd, the haddock, halibut, 

the eel and pickerell. 
The alewife, perch, bass and tautog, 

the smelt and mackerell. 
Lobsters and crabbs, too, so abound, 

'T is marvelous to see ; 
And mussels, clamms and great quahaugs 

Make up variety. 
Then why should wee not love to eat, 

as well as eat to live, 
And bless the Lord who gave the meat 

and pray Ilim e'er to give ? 

The Shores and Beaches of Lynn, too, have been 
long famed among the lovers of natural scenery, whether 
visited amid tlio terrors of the tempest, when the bil- 
lows roar and dash against the trembling buttresses of 
rock, (jr in tlic calm sunsliine, when the sands glitter 
like beds of gems. Nahant, which was set off from 
Lynn as a separate town, in 1853, remains territorially 
joined to its parent by a narrow neck of fine gray sand 



86 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

with a ridge of pebbles, shells and various marine de- 
posits, called Long Beacli. Its length is about a mile 
and three-quarters, and in old geographies it is spoken 
of as a rare curiosity. The ocean constantly beats upon 
it with a deafening roar or a lulling murmur, according 
to the state of the wind and tide. The roaring is popu- 
larly believed to indicate the approach of storms ; a be- 
lief that can be traced back to the very earliest times. 
Mr. Wood, in his New England's Prospect, says : 
" Vpon ye sou the side of ye sandy Beach ye sea beat- 
eth, which is a sure prognostication to presage stormes 
and foule weather and ye breaking vp of Frost. For 
when a storme hath beene or is likely to be itt will roare 
like Thunder, being hearde six myles." It is, however, 
an error to suppose the roaring to be a sure precursor of 
foul weather, as it arises from the out winds driving in 
heavy seas ; and only indicates the location and strength 
of the wind, which may change to some overland quar- 
ter, when, without a storm the roaring will cease. An 
out wind, however, if it be of any considerable duration, 
is pretty sure to produce a storm. This beach has al- 
ways been much resorted to in summer, by those who 
would have a breath of invigorating ocean air ; and 
often, of a moonlight evening, an almost fairy scene is 
presented. Tradition says that the Indians were fond of 
assembling here to pursue their sports ; and it is asserted 
that the name in their tongue signified " Lover's Walk." 
The protection of this beach seems absolutely neces- 
sary for the safety of the city, for, were it swept away, 



HISTORICAL SKHTCir. 87 

tiil(\s niiglit iictually rnsli iii((> (ho streets. Encroach- 
iiu'iits of ;i serious nature have been made, and govern- 
ment has been more than onee applied to for the erection 
of a suitable guard. A little more than half a century 
agt), the General Court made a grant of $1,500 which, 
with the appropriation of a like sum by the town, was 
sufficient to build a breakwater of plank for about half 
the length ; and that answered a good purpose for some 
years, but finally wore away and the sea resumed its de- 
structive assaults. Great damage w^as done by a sweep- 
ing tide in ISoO. In October, 1840, during a great 
storm the sea made a clear breach over in several places ; 
and again, in 1851, during the furious storm of April 
15, when the lighthouse on Minot's Ledge was carried 
away. The city now awoke to the necessity of imme- 
diate action. As the most expeditious and cheap plan, 
they placed a line of the largest red cedars that could be 
procured in our woods, with branches and foliage all on, 
along the ridge, working stones, sand, and other sea 
debris as compactly as possible among them. The storms 
and the sea themselves soon lent a hand in carrying out 
\]w plan, by piling up against the embankment thus 
Ijcgun large (|uantities of the desired material, and the 
whole work has been successful to an unanticipated de- 
gree. Weak points are, however, beginning to appear, 
and something more certain and substantial should be 
providrd. Ill August, 18^7, Alonzo Lewis made a sur- 
vey, under the directii»u of Congress, and submitted a 
plan lor a granitf wall, the whole length, which it was 



Ob HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

estimated could then be built for $37,000. Encourage- 
ment was given that a grant would be made ; but it 
never was, though it was the very year when the country 
was so rich that it had to resort to the expedient of dis- 
tributing among the states the surplus revenue which was 
a burden on the treasury. It is to be hoped that not 
many years will elapse before something is done to make 
Lynn permanently secure from the danger of a sudden 
submersion ; otherwise, the next Centennial Year may 
find, if not the "purple mullet and gold fish" roving 
among her buried remains, perhaps the mackerel and the 
cod. 

A momentary glance, retrospective and immediate, 
will satisfy any one that people of average means now 
live far more comfortably, not to say luxuriously, than 
did those of the same class during the last century, or 
even the last half of that period. And this remark ap- 
plies not only to Lynn but to the country generally. 
American genius for mechanical invention and contriv- 
ance seemed to be let loose soon after the political shackles 
had fallen, and has, certainly of late years, been actively 
disporting itself. In common household affairs what a 
vast number of devices have been introduced for the 
saving of labor and relief from drudgery. With the in- 
troduction of coal the yawning fire-place, with its un- 
handy trammels and hooks, has disappeared ; and the 
neat range and cooking-stove have taken its place. The 
ancient tinder-box, over which the dame and goodman 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 89 

bent of a winter morning, with benumbed fingers essay- 
ing to coax a vital spark, has been superseded by the 
ever-ready friction match. Then we have washing ma- 
chines, wringers, and the hundred other contrivances for 
the lightening of labor in doors and out, about the farm, 
the work-shop, the mill. 

Of the modes of lighting our dwellings, too, a word 
may be said. First, there was the pine knot, stuck in a 
crevice of the chimney. And it was by such a primitive 
light that the immortal Hooker is said to have penned 
pages of his profound works. Then came the tallow 
dips, the whale oil lamps, the illuminating and exploding 
fluids, the .kerosene, the brilliant gas. 

And then as to what may be called public improve- 
ments : What marked progress has been made in the 
means of travel. The early settlers were obliged to 
journey over roads that wheel carriages could not trav- 
erse, the obstructions of rock, stump and quagmire 
rendering them hard for even the equestrian pilgrim. 
Then better roads were constructed, and wheeled car- 
riages appeared ; then turnpikes, with stages and bag- 
gage-wagons ; and lastly the railroad began to shoot out 
its iron arms through the land. The Eastern Railroad, 
the first that entered Lynn, was opened in 1838. Then 
came the street cars, the first in Lynn commencing to 
run in ISCO ; and, finally, the narrow gauge Boston, 
Revere Beach and Lynn slcani Railroad, going into op- 
eration in 1875. As to wliat improvements will be made 
in this matter of travel diuiiii;' the eenturv i»u which we 

12 



90 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

now enter, it would be rash to venture a prediction ; 
possibly people may, by its end, be journeying through 
the air ; though not, we trust, with the rapidity with 
which the electric telegraph, another of those wonderful 
inventions which mai'k these latter days, delivers its bur- 
dens. We love to boast of these amazing evidences of 
human progress in the arts of life ; but then the old 
question will obtrude itself: Are we better or happier 
for them ? We certainly are not if they only induce us 
to lie by and say, " Soul, take thine ease." Occupation 
is as necessary to the health of the mind as exercise 
to the health of the body. In so far as we are relieved 
from drudgery and anxiety for the supplying of our 
bodily wants we are the better off, if the relief results in 
leading to a higher culture of our superior nature ; but if 
we are only incited to more lively efforts for the accumu- 
lation of wealth, we are none the happier, for the power 
to draw happiness from the mere possession of wealth is 
not an attribute of human nature. But the world is 
progressive, or at least changeable, and great changes if 
not improvements will continue to astonish mankind. 
New arts will spring up, have their day, and become lost 
arts ; and so on to the end. And this spirit of unrest is 
right, right because divinely ordained. The mind is ever 
reaching on and on, stimulated, perhaps, by glowing 
phantoms, but ensuring the advance of the species. 

Lynn, during her whole history, has been remarkably 
exempt from extraordinary devastations by fire, flood, 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 91 

pestilence or famine, (liough she has been in no wise 
exempt from the common vicissitudes. And she has luid 
a iaithfiil chronicler of all that has occurred within her 
borders, worthy of note, for more than two hundred years, 
in hor g'ifted son, Alonzo Lewis, who during his life was 
conspicuous for his accomplishments and his eccentrici- 
ties. But lie was called to lay aside the pen, and the 
writer of (liis sketch then took np the story, and has en- 
deavored with the same faithfulness to delineate subsc- 
fpient events. lie, too, in the common course of human 
life, must soon close up his record, and will do so in the 
ardent hope that some more able hand will pursue the 
work. 

Every summer season we find encamped upon some of 
our outlying plains, or upon the beaches, a few individuals 
of the now almost extinct Indian Tribes. They pursue 
the humble occupation of basket making, with some ef- 
forts at ornamental bead and shell work, and by their 
small traffic with the visitors who come hither to bathe 
in the invigorating waters and breathe the pure air, gain 
a little ready money. But they are poor and dispirited. 
And we can hardly doubt that before another Centennial 
Year arrives, the last remnant of those forlorn people 
will have forever passed away. A little mon^ than two 
centuries aire the re(l rac(^ called (his whole land llnir 
own. But wh<>re are they now / Receding down the 
dim vista of time, close on the steps of the mysterious 
peo[)le who })irceded them in the occupation of the' her- 



92 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

itage. And what will be our fate in the course of 
coming centuries ? The march of nations is as pauseless 
as the generations of men. In the stirring words of 
Ossian: "The chiefs of other times have departed. 
They have gone without their fame. The people are 
like the waves of the ocean : like the leaves of woody 
Morven, they pass away in the rustling blast, and other 
leaves lift their green heads on high." 




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CHAPTER VI. 

Present Aspect of Lynn — Public Buildings — Business Structures 
— Dwellings — Streets — Drives — Statistical Tables. 

It will be attempted in this chapter to show as fully 
as may be the present condition of things among us. 
And to this end a variety of statistical tables will be in- 
troduced, which have been carefully prepared and are as 
full as circumstances would permit. Preliminary to the 
tables, however, a few remarks are proper. 

Till within some twenty-five years Lynn has preserved 
rather the aspect of a large country village than a com- 
pact city, the nature of the principal business and the 
manner of conducting it not demanding extensive ware- 
houses, workshops, or buildings of any kind ; and the 
dwellings, generally, though presenting an appearance 
of thrift and good taste, could claim but little in the way 
of elegance. The streets, the churches and other public 
buildings, partook of the same general character. The 
city form of government was adopted in 1850 ; and soon 
a change in appearance became manifest. Though wood 
is yet chiefly used in tlio construction of dwellings, even 
those of the most expensive style, brick has been con- 
Los] 



94 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

siderably in demand for erections for business purposes. 
The necessity for very much larger buildings now than 
formerly arises from changes in the mode of conducting 
the business ; changes arising, in their turn, from the in- 
troduction of machinery in every department of manu- 
facture. The completion of the new City Hall, in 18G7, 
perhaps more than anything else induced the later efforts 
in the direction of architectural improvement, especially 
in our public buildings ; . teachings by visible example 
being often the most effectual. 

Our streets are for the most part remarkably level, and 
kept in good repair, wide enough for all common pur- 
poses, and with sidewalks most assuredly susceptible of 
that improvement which year by year they are receiving, 
and it is hoped will continue to receive, by pavements of 
brick and asphalt. None of the carriage ways are paved 
with stones or blocks, in the old style ; but the principal 
thoroughfares have thick layers of crushed stone, covered 
by gravel, forming a bed compact and easy for vehicles. 
The drives everywhere in the suburbs furnish a rich va- 
riety of woodland and seashore scenery, and many points 
of historic interest ; and in the warm season, especially, 
are enlivened by the numbers who resort here during 
their summer vacations. 

The markets are well provided with meats, as our 
proximity to Boston affords every facility for replenish- 
ment ; and the gardens and cultivated fields in the out- 
skirts furnish supplies of excellent fruits and vegetables. 
And then as to the matter of clothing and personal 



FIISTORICAL SKKTCII, 95 

adornment. Our stores are well supplied with every- 
thing needful ; and more expansive desires may be grat- 
ified by a visit to the metropolis at little cost of time and 
money. Much has at times been said about the suffer- 
ings of local trade, about the cheapness of travel de- 
pressing home trajQQc ; but the pertinent question comes, 
Is the public, as a whole, benefited by these facilities? 
There is no condition in life in which individuals may not 
suffer by the very means which benefit the community at 
large ; and for one of us to endeavor to obstruct the in- 
terests of all our neighbors, in pursuance of an advan- 
tage to ourselves, verges a little on selfishness. But to 
our tables. 



The following are the names of twelve of the early settlers, 
with the number of voters of the same names, now in Lynn : 



Newhall 95 

Breed 76 

Johnson 54 

Lewis 49 

Alley 41 

Ingalls 34 



Phillips 25 

Allen 23 

Collins 23 

Burrill 21 

Mansfield 18 

Graves 13 



And this has been about the relative position of the families, 
with few exceptions, for fifty years — perhaps a much longer pe- 
riod. Among the loading ones, however, Alley has dropped from 
the second or third to the fifth. In 1831, Newhall stood at 62,' 
and Breed and Alley both at 44. 



96 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



POPULATION. 

The Population of Lynn, at the close of the Revolution, was 
just about 2,000. And to show the after progress, the fol- 
lowing table is appended, with the prefatory remark that Lynn- 
field was set ofi" in 1814, Saugus in 1815, Swampscott in 1852 and 
Nahant in 1853 : 

1T83 2,000 

1800 2,83t 

1810 4,087 

1820 4,515 

1880 6,138 

1840 9,367 

1850 14,257 

1860 19,083 

1870 : 28,233 

Items from census returns of 1875 : 

Total Population 32,600 

Males 15,277 

Females 17,323 

Unmarried Males 8,279 

Unmarried Females 8,995 

Blind — males, 3, females 17 20 

Deaf — males, 64, females 67 131 

Paupers — males 40, females 21 61 

Number above 10 years who can neither read nor 

write 736 




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HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



97 



VALUATION, POLLS, RATE OF TAXATION, VOTERS. 

Tlic City form of guvcniineut was adopted in 1850. Our pro- 
gress siiic(! that time in some important particulars is illustrated 
by the following' table : 





Real Estate. 


Personal Estate, 


Total. N 


0. Polls. 


Tax )ier 

Sl.UOO. 


1850 


$3,160,515 


$1,674,328 


$4,834,843 


3,251 


$9.00 


1855 


5,403,852 


2,880,797 


8,284,649 


4,081 


7.50 


1860 


6,291,460 


3,357,605 


9,649,065 


3,933 


8.80 


1861 


6,296,385 


2,936,323 


9,232,708 


3,615 


11.20 


1862 


6,279,541 


2,946,097 


9,225,768 


3,682 


11.50 


1863 


6,298,475 


3,155,422 


9,453,897 


3,768 


12.00 


1864 


6,528,762 


2,936,179 


9,464,941 


3,712 


15.00 


1865 


7,014,008 


3,604,998 


10,619,006 


3,983 


20.00 


1866 


8,892,068 


5,853,495 


14,745,563 


4,668 


16.50 


1867 


9,722,165 


5,613,802 


15,335,967 


5,430 


17.60 


1868 


10,562,962 


5,548,837 


16,111,799 


6,048 


16.60 


1869 


12,515,057 


5,849,487 


18,364,544 


6,584 


19.60 


1870 


14,277,212 


6,649,903 


20,927,115 


6,773 


17.20 


1871 


17,742,993 


6,642,633 


24,385,626 


7,558 


19.60 


1872 


21,102,028 


6,461,897 


27,563,925 


9,174 


. 16. (iO 


1873 


21,925,071 


5,531,367 


27,456,438 


8,512 


18.40 


1874 


22,105,574 


5,667,539 


27,773,113 


8,419 


16.80 


1875 


21,930,751 


6,147,052 


28,077,803 


7,960 


17.40 


1876 


19,896,808 


6,040,623 


25,937,431 


8,189 


16.80 



The whole number of Voters, in 1875, was 7,713 
6.638; Naturalized, 1,075. 



Native 



13 



98 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



VALUE OF WATER WORKS. 

Breed's Pond, land and buildings .... $30,306 GO 

Reservoir and land adjacent 131,483 00 

Main pipes, hydrants, &c 545,827 00 

Engine House and land 55,113 00 

Engine and pumps 63,020 00 

Birch Pond 69,881 00 

Force main, pipe and laud 24,614 00 

Meters, boxes, &c 3,876 00 

Workshop and stable 1,600 00 

$925,726 00 

The number of gallons drawn from the City Reservoir, during 
1875, was 471,387,756. 



VALUE OF CITY PROPERTY. 

The Water Works are not included in this valuation : 

Total of Real Estate $959,725 00 

Total of Personal Estate 77,944 88 

$1,087,669 88 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 90 

RECEIPTS, EXPENDITURES, CITY DEBT. 

The Receipts, Expenditures, and Debt of Lynn, during the time 
it has been a city, are shown by the lblh)\vin<^ table : 

Ai)pro. and Receipts, KKpenditures. City Debt. 

^1850 $45,000 00 $36,704 10 March 1, 18,51, $71,398 15 

1851 60,057 99 69,120 82 March 1, 1852, 76,600 75 

1852 68,242 96 67,631 00 March 1, 1853, 74,550 75 

1853 53,518 61 48,711 56 March 1, 1854, 74,500 00 

1854 56,875 20 55,512 73 Dec. .30, 1854, 76,950 00 

1855 65,136 39 64,265 27 Dec. 31, 1855, 86,550 00 

1856 75,922 71 75,646 52 Dec. 31, 1856, 102,300 00 

1857 78,264 34 77,050 80 Dec. 31, 1857, 112,150 00 

1858 68,784 34 68,568 39 Dec. 31, 1858, 109,150 00 

1859 88,458 38 82,323 69 Dec. 31, 1859, 107,600 00 

1860 II0.G07 28 101,569 51 Dec. 31, 1860, 123,100 00 

1861 133,227 20 112,880 36 Dec. 31, 1861, 172,300 00 
1802 239,783 57 197,650 45 Dec. 31, 1802, 210,3<I0 00 

1863 234,195 92 195,986 85 Dec. 31, 1863, 281,800 00 

1864 325,125 68 287,033 90 Dec. 31, 1864, 355,800 00 

1865 331,404 30 263,783 24 Dec. 31, 1865, 378,500 00 

1866 445,839 52 360,327 85 Dec. 31, 1866, 430,500 00 

1867 523,817 65 453,107 56 Dec. 31, 1867, 607,500 00 

1868 395,186 03 369,176 47 Dec. 31, 1868, 707,500 00 

1869 477,619 07 477,172 44 Dec. 31, 1869, 803,500 00 

1870 521,776 72 499,583 25 Dec. 31, 1870, 910,000 00 

1871 1,055,249 22 1,003,309 56 Dec. 31, 1871, 1,476,000 00 

1872 1,170,057 78 1,020,972 51 Dec. 31, 1872, 1,844,000 00 

1873 884,464 75 858,642 09 Dec. 31, 1873. 2,212,000 00 

1874 720,743 88 662,410 31 Dec. 31, 1874, 2,310,500 00 

1875 643,382 81 619,772 11 Dec. 31,1875, 2,296.000 00 
1S76 508,708 06 487,068 01 Dec. 31, 1876, 2,256,000 00 

As to the Debt, it will not be forgotten that there may be un- 
collected ta.xes and assessments, cash on hand ami other items by 
which it would in a sense be materially reduced. And, as the 
finances arc of peculiar interest, it is thought desirable to here in- 
sert the tabular statement given in the Inaugural Adilress of Hon. 
Samuel M. Bubier, Mayor, delivered January 1, 1877 ; the nee- 



100 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



essarily slow passage of our work through the press enabling 
us so to do : 



FUNDED LOAN 

5^ per cent. Bonds due March 1, 1879 

5 per cent. Bonds due Nov. 1, 1882 . 

6 per cent. Bonds due Feb. 15, 1885 . 
6 per cent. Bonds due April 1, 1895 . 

6 per cent. Bonds due April 1, 1896 . 

7 per cent. Notes due Nov. 20, 1877 . 
7 per cent. Notes due Jan. 15, 1878 . 
7 per cent. Notes due Sept. 3, 1878 . 
G per cent. Notes due Feb. 15, 1887 . 

G per cent. Notes due Dec. 1, 1890 . . 
6 per cent. Notes due Dec. 10, 1890 . 



$60,000 
77,500 
25,000 
70,000 

120,000 
30,000 
50,000 
25,000 
25,000 

100,000 
50,000 



$632,500 00 



SCHOOL HOUSE LOAN. 



6 per cent. Bonds due April 1, 1896 
6 per cent. Notes due July 1, 1892 . 



CITY HALL LOAN. 



5^ per cent. Notes due Aug. 15, 1884 
G per cent. Notes due Aug. 15, 1884 . 
6 per cent. Notes due Aug. 15, 1886 
6 per cent. Notes due Feb. 15, 1887 . 



"WATER LOAN. 

6 per cent. Bonds due July I, 1891 
6 per cent. Bonds due July 1, 1894 

6 per cent. Bonds due Jan 1, 1896 , 

7 per cent. Notes due July 1, 1878 
7 per cent. Notes dae July 1, 1878 , 
7 per cent. Notes due July 1, 1878 
6 per cent. Notes due July I, 1885 
6 per cent. Notes due Dec. 1, 1890 



$100,000 
50,000 



$150,000 00 



$40,000 

10,000 

100,000 

152,000 



$302,000 00 



$300,000 

100,000 

50,000 

250,000 

50,000 

50,000 

21, .500 

100,000 



$921,500 00 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



101 



TEMPOUAUY LOAN 



4 per cent. Notes due Feb. 1, 1877 . 
3 per cent. Notes due Juno 1, 1877 . 
6^ per cent. Notes due Nov. 2, 1877 

5 per cent. Notes due April 29, 1877 



$150,000 
25,000 
50,000 
25,000 



$250,000 00 



RECAPITULATION. 

Funded Loan, Bonds and Notes . ... $632,500 
School House Loan, Bonds and Notes . . 150,000 
City Ilall Loan, Bonds and Notes . . . 302,000 

Water Loan, Bonds and Notes 921,500 

Temporary Loan, Notes 250,000 



$2,256,000 00 



Balance of City Hall Sinking Fund . $106,048 11 

Balance of City Debt Sinking Fund . 60,121 90 

Cash on hand 26,592 28 

Value of Uncollected Taxes .... 188,030 24 

Tax Deeds 48,901 72 

Due and allowed on State Aid . . . 17,000 00 

Sewerage Assessments due 8,500 00 

Gross Total Debt 



$455,494 25 
$1,800,505 75 



102 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



CITY EXPENDITURES. 

The following' items, relating to the year 1875, will perhaps 
give as fair idea of the ordinary purposes for which money is ap- 
propriated, and the relative amounts, as can be done. But such 
items vary much from year to year : 

Abatement of Taxes $32,698 88 

Board of Health 47 59 

City Hall Expenses 6,197 02 

City Hall Sinking Fund 8,000 00 

City Debt Sinking Fund 12,000 00 

City Debt Reduction 24,500 00 

Contingencies • • . . . 19,891 67 

Drainage 15,212 82 

Fire Department 41,771 48 

Highway Department 48,265 21 

Interest Account 158,637 87 

Introduction of Water 28,477 43 

Laying Out and Altering Streets . . . 5,469 96 

Lighting Streets 9,820 35 

Poor Department 50,472 08 

Public Grounds 834 47 

Public Library 5,000 00 

Police Department -25,088 18 

Pine Grove Cemetery 5,000 00 

Printing and Stationery 2,741 52 

School Department 98,443 15 

Salaries 20,397 05 

Sidewalks and Street Crossings .... 775 38 

$619,772 11 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



103 



VITAL STATISTICS, 1876. 

Number of Births during tlio year, about 800. 

Number of Marriages, 321. 

Number of Deaths, 717. 

The foHowiiig table will be found interesting, as showing the 
kinds of disease most prevalent here — this year, 1876, probably 
furiiisliin<r a fair average : 



Causes of Death. 
Abscess .... 
Accident . . . 
Apoplexy . . . 
Asthma .... 



Bilious Fever . . . 

Bronchitis 

Cancer 

Canker 

Childbirth 

Cholera Infantum . . 
Cholera Morbus . . 
Congestion of Lungs 
Consumption . . , 
Convulsions . . . . 

Croup 

Delirium Tremens 

Diarrhoea 

Diphtheria . . . 
Disease of Brain . . 
Disease of Bowels 
Disease of Heart . . 
Disease of Kidneys . 
Disease of Liver . . 
Disease of Spine . . 
Disease of Stomach . 
Dropsy 



Males, r'ni'l's. 


Tot. 




1 




1 




11 


8 


19 




2 


1 


3 




2 




2 




1 


1 


2 




1 


4 


5 




5 


6 


11 




4 


3 


7 






5 


5 




23 


27 


50 




1 


2 


3 




4 


2 


6 




55 


60 


115 




2 


4 


6 




3 


2 


5 




2 




2 






1 


1 




50 


71 


121 




9 


5 


14 




7 


5 


12 




13 


9 

8 


?'?, 




5 


13 




3 


2 


5 




2 


1 


3 




1 




1 




5 


9 


14 



104 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



(Vital Statistics — Continued.) 
Causes of Deatb. 

Dysentery 

Erysipelas 

Ilsemorhage of Lungs 

Hip Disease 

Hydrocephalus 

Infantile and Premature 

Insanity 

Measles 

Meningitis 

Old Age 

Paralysis 

Pluritis 

Pneumonia 

Prostatitis 

Rheumatism 

Scarlet Fever 

Scrofula 

Small Pox 

Still Born 

Stricture of Rectum 

Teething 

Typhoid Fever 

Unknown 

Whooping Cough 

Totals 



Males. 
1 



1 
II 
3 
3 
2 
8 
5 
2 

18 
1 



2 


2 


2 


4 




2 


5 




21 


18 




1 


2 


6 


5 


5 


28 


29 


7 


1 


346 


371 



F'm'l's. Tot. 

3 
1 
1 
2 
3 

21 
3 
7 
5 

27 

10 
2 

37 
1 
4 
6 
2 

5 
45 

1 

8 
10 
57 

8 

717 



2 

2 

10 

4 

3 

19 

5 

19 




00 



UllSTOUlCAL blvETClI. 105 



SCHOOLS. 

Two or three of the finest and most expensive buildings in the 
vity were erected for scliool purposes. The Gobbet School House, 
on Franklin street, and the Ing-alls, on Essex street, both com- 
pleted in 1872, are among the best in the state. Women were 
elected as members of the School Committee, for the first time, 
Dec. 12, 1870. Tlie following will be sufficient to show the 
present condition of educational matters here. The statistics 
relate to 1875, and to none but the public day schools : 

Whole number of schools — Primary, 51; 

Grammar, 7 ; High, 1) 59 

Number of Pupils 4,788 

Average attendance 4,212 

Amount expended for each child between 5 

and 15 years old $16 43 

Number of Teachers — (Male, 7; Female, 

101) 108 

Whole amount appropriated — grant of City 

and receipts $107,812,97 

Teachers' Salaries 71,955 49 

Committee's Services 1,041 55 

Value of School Buildings 462,000 00 

As a brief statement touching tlic character of onr publii' 
schools, it may be said that in the Grammar schools youth may be 
fitted for all th(.' common demands of business life, and lay a foun- 
dation on which can afterwards be built such a superstructure as) 
educational ambition may desire. The studies in the High school 
appear by the following table : 



14 



lOG 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



Course of Study at Lyxn IIigh Schooi,. 



First 

Term. 

SumuKU'. 

Second 

Term. 

Full. 

'rhird 

Term. 

Winb'V. 

Fourth 
Term. 
Spring. 

First 

Tcrni. 

Summer. 

ScH'ond 

Term. 

Fall. 

Thir.l 
Torm. 
Winter. 

Fourth 
TiM-m. 
Spring. 

f First 
' Term. 
Summer, 



Classical Department. 
Alg(<br:i. 
History, 
fjatin. 

Alg(!l)ra. 
Ilisiory. 
Latin. 

.\lgebra. 

Kaiural Philosophy. 

Latin. 

r.eouK^try. 

Natural I'hilosophy. 

Latin. 

Geometry. 
('iKMuistry. 
Latin. 

(Icometry. 
Chemistry. 
Latin. 

Trigonometry or Rhetoric 

Geology. 
Latin, 

Snrveying or Rhetoric. 

Pliysiology. 

Latin. 

Botany. 
French. 
Latin. 



Second ! -Vstronomy. 
T(Mm. i Fr(>nch. 

Fall, i Latin. 

I 

Third 1 English I,.iterature. 
Term. 1 French. 
Winter. ! Latin. 

Fourih ! English Literature. 
Term. I French. 
Spring. I Latin. 



English Department. 
Alg(!bra. 
IIis;ory. 
Eng. (iram'r with written ex. 

Algebra. 
History. 
Physical Geography. 

Algebra. 

Natural Philosophy. 

Physical Geography. 

Geometry. 

Natural Philosophy. 

Book-Keeping. 

(leometry. 
Chemistry. 
Book-Keeping. 

Geom(>try. 
Chemistry. 
Etymology. 

Trigonometi-y. 

Geology. 

Etynu)logy and Composition. 

Siu'veying. 
Physiology, 
llluitoric. 

Botany. 
French. 
Rhetoric. 

Astronomy. 

French. 

Constitution of United States. 

English Literature. 

French. 

Astronomy. 

Astronomy and French. 
English Literature. 
INFilton or Shakspeare. 



Pupils fitting for college will take the classical course of the first year. 
Afterwards in Lntin, Ciiesar's Commentaries (Chase and Stuart's Series). 
Virgil, Latin, Prose Composition. In Orcck, Greek Lessons an 1 Gram- 
mar, Anabasis, Greek Prose Composition, Iliad (three books), Mitcheirs 
Ancient and Modern Geography. 



mSTOlllCAL fcKETCII. 107 



FIRES, FIRE DEPARTMENT, INSURANCE. 

Lynn, during her wliolc liistory, has been abnost singularly 
free from disastrous fires. The two most destructive ones took 
place, one on Market street, on the night of Christmas day, 1868, 
involving a loss of some $300,000, and the other on Muuroc 
street, on the night of Jan. 25, 1809, involving a loss of about 
$170,000. But the average yearly loss has been small. In 1875, 
which was perhaps a year of fair average, there were fifty-nine 
alarms, a few of such trilling account as to be classed as false. 
The total loss was $11,179.00. Insurance, $9,801.00. Loss above 
insurance, $1,378.00. 

The Fire Department is organized in a satisfactory manner, and 
much commended for its eflSciency. There are four Steam Fire 
Engines, with hose, hooks, ladders, and every other necessary 
equipment. xVn Electric Fire Alarm is attached to church bells 
in the different neighborhoods, and Chemical Hand Extinguishers 
are provided. 

The people very generally keep well insured against loss by fire. 
The custom of insuring in the great companies that abound in the 
large cities, many of which have agencies here, render local asso- 
ciations in a great degree unnecessary. The Lj'nn Mutual Fire 
Insurance Company was established in 1828, and has continued 
in remarkably successful operation. At the present time it has at 
risk property to the amount of $1,500,000. The Saugus Mutual 
Fire Insurance Companj', incorporated in 1852, also has a large; 
amount at risk in Lynn. 



108 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



Mayors, 



fnth the Dates of their Inauguration, 



George Hood. 
George Hood. 
Benj. F. Mudge. 
Daniel C. Baker. 
T. P. Richardson. 
Andrews Breed. 
Ezra "W. Miulge. 
Ezra W. Mudge. 
Wm. F. Jolmson. 
Edward S. Davis. 
Edward S. Davis. 
Hiram N. Breed. 
Peter M. Neal. 
Peter M. Neal. 
Peter M. Neal. 
Peter M. Neal. 
Roland G. Uslier. 
Roland G. Usher. 
Roland G. Usher. 
James N. Bufium. 
Edwin Walden. 
Edwin Walden. 
James N. Buffum. 
Jacob M. LeAvis. 
Jacob M. Lewis. 
Jacob M. Lewis. 
Jacob M. Lewis. 



1850. 


May 14. 


1851. 


April 7. 


1852. 


June 16. 


1853. 


April 4. 


1854. 


April 3. 


1855. 


.'inn. 1. 


1856. 


Jan. 7. 


1857. 


Jan. 5. 


1858. 


Jan. 4. 


1859. 


Jan. 3. 


1800. 


Jan. 2. 


1861. 


Jan. 7. 


18G2. 


Jan. 6. 


1863. 


Jan. 5. 


1864. 


Jan. 4. 


1865. 


Jan. 2. 


1866. 


Jan. 1. 


1667. 


Jan. 7. 


1868. 


Jan. 0. 


1869. 


Jan. 4. 


1870. 


Jan. 3. 


1871. 


Jan. 2. 


1872. 


Jan. 1, 


1S73. 


Jan. 6. 


1874. 


J:m. 5. 


1575. 


Jan. 4. 


1876. 


Jan. 3. 



Presidents of the Common Council, 

With the years in which thrtj were Elected. 

1850. Daniel C. Baker. 

1851. James R. Newhall. 

1852. Edward S. Davis. 

1853. Edward S. Davis. 

1854. Gustavus Attwill. 

1855. Gilbert Hawkes. 

1856. Edward S. Davis. 

1857. Edward S. Davis. 

1858. Edwin Q. Bacheller. 

1859. Nathan Clark. 

1860. Noah Robinson. 
1801. George II. Chase. 

1863. George H. Chase. 
1803. Jesse L. Attwill, 

1864. Jesse L. Attwill. 

1865. Jesse L. Attwill. 

1866. Jesse L. Attwill. 

1867. Theodore Attwill. 

1808. Tlicodore Attwill. 

1809. Nathan M. Hawkes. 

1870. Nathan M. Hawkes. 

1871. Bowman B. Breed. 

1872. Nathan M. Hawkes. 

1873. Bowman B. Breed.* 

1874. William C. Holder. 

1875. George D. Wlrittle. 

1876. Geori2;e T. Newhall. 



* Dr. Breed died Dec. IC, and Ezra Baker was elected President for the remaiuder of 
the year. 



IIISTOlllCAL SKETCH. 



109 



CHIEF OFFICERS OF THE CITY, 

Since its Incorpokation. 



Year. 



1850-1. 

1851-2. 

1852-3. 

1853-4. 

1854. 

1855. 

1856. 

1857. 

1858. 

1859. 

18G0. 

1801. 

1862. 

1863. 

1864. 

1865. 

1866. 

1867. 

1808. 

1809. 

1870. 

1S71. 

1872. 

1873. 

1871. 

1875. 

1870. 



Citv Clerks 



William Bassctt. 
William Bassett. 
William Bassctt. 
Charles Mcrritt. 
Charles JNIcrritt. 
John Batehelder. 
Charles Merritt. 
Charles Merritt. 
Charles Merritt. 
Eph'm A. Ingalls. 
Eph'm A. liig-alls. 
Beiij. IJ. Jones. 
Benj. II. Jones. 
Beiij. II. Jones. 
Benj. II. Jones. 
Benj. II. Jones. 
Benj. II. Jones. 
Benj. II. Jones. 

II. Jones. 

II. Jones. 

II. Jones. 

II. Jones. 
Benj. II. Jones. 
Benj. II. Jones. 
Benj. II. Jones. 
Benj. II. Jones. 
Chas. E. Parsons. 



Benj. 
Benj. 
Benj. 
Benj. 



City Treasurers. 

Ezra W. Mudge. 
Ezra W. Mudge. 
Ezra W. Mudge. 
Ezra W. Mudge. 
Ezra W. Mudge. 
Ezra W. Mudge. 
William Bassett. 
William Bassett. 
William Bassett. 
William Bassett. 
William Bassett. 
William Bassett. 
William Bassett. 
William Bassett. 
William Bassett. 
Elbridge Lovejoy 
Elbridgo Lovejoy 
Elbridge Lovejoy 
Elbi'idgc L(-)vejoy 
Warren Newhall. 
Warren Newhall. 
Ceo. I). Whittle. 
Geo. I). Whittle. 
Charles F. Tatch. 
Thos. B. Kniglit. 
Thos. B. Knight. 
Thos. B. Knight. 



City Marshals. 

Caleb M. Long. 
Caleb M. Long. 
J. A. Thurston. 
J. A. Thurston. 
James Stone. 
J. A. Thurston. 
Timothy Munroe. 
James Patch. 
James Patch. 
James Patch. 
J. A. Thurston. 
James Dillon. 
J. A. Thurston. 
James Stone. 
James Stone. 
Daii'l N. Barrett. 
Dan'l N. Barrett 
A. G. Shepherd. 
A. G. Shepherd. 
A. G. Shepherd. 
A. G. Shepherd. 
Dan'l N. Barrett. 
Dan'l N. Barrett. 
Dan'l N. Barrett. 
Edward P. Allen. 
Charles II. Kent. 
Charles II. Kent. 



110 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



POLICE COURT. 

This Court was established in 1849. Number of Criminal cases 
entered in 1875, 741 ; of Civil cases, 870. 

Justices. 

1849. Thomas B. Newhall. 1866. Jarnes R. Newhall 

Special Justices. 

1849. Benjamin F. Mudij^e. 1849. James R. Newhall, 
1867. Nathan M. Hawkes. 1872. Rollin E. Ilarmon, 

Clerks. 

1849. Thomas B. Newhall. 1862. Henry C. Oliver. 



ANCIENT AND HONORABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY. 

This venerable organization was formed in 1638, for the purpose 
of discipline in military tactics. The following are the names of 
the members from Lynn : 



1638. Ballard, William. 

1638, Hewes, Joseph. 

1638. Howe, Daniel (Lieut.) 

1638. Tomlins, Edward. 

1638. Turner, Nathaniel. 

1638. Walker, Richard. 

1639. Bonnet, Samuel. 

1640. Humfrey, John. 

1640. Marshall, Thomas. 

1641. Bridges, Robert, 
1641. Humfrey, John, jr. 

1641. Otley, Adam, 

1642. Wood, John. 



1643. Smith, Benjamin, 

1645. Coldam, Clement, 

1648, Cole, John. 

1652. Hutchinson, Samuel. 

1694. Baker, Thomas, 

1717, Gray, Benjamin. 

1821. Robinson, Robert. 

1822. Breed, Daniel N. 
1822. Johnson, George. 
1822, Neal, Ebenezer. 
1851. Usher, Roland G, 
1860. Fay, Richard S. jr. 



mSTOUlCAL SKETCH. 



Ill 



POST OFFICE. 

The Lynn Post Office was ostal)lislu'(l in 1795, before which 
time the people went to Boston for tiieir mail matter. It was first 
kept on Boston street, corner of Nortii Federal. The names of 
the Postmasters follow : 



1795. James Robinson. 

1802. Ezra Ilitchings. 

1803. Samuel Mulliken. 

1807. Elijah Downing-. 

1808. Jonatlian Bacheller. 
1829. Jeremiah C. Stickney. 
1839. Thomas J. Marsh. 
1841. Stephen Oliver. 



1842. Thomas B. Newhall. 

1813. Benjamin Mudge. 

1819. Abner Austin. 

1853. Jeremiah C. Stickney. 

IS5S. Leonard B. Usher. 

18G1. George II. Chase. 

1869. John Batchelder. 



RAILROADS AND TELEGRAPH. 

1838, Eastern Railroad — steam. 

1860. Lynn and Boston Railroad — horse. 

1874. Lynn Street Railway — horse. 

1875. Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad — narrow 

gauge — steam, 
1858. Electric Telegraph established. 



MILITARY, 



The military of the City consists of three full and well-disci- 
plined Infantry Companies — the Lynn Light Infimtry, the City 
Guards, and the Wuoldrcdji'e Cadets. 



112 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 

The twenty-six Religious Societies of Lynn stand denomina- 
tionally as follows : 



Methodist, (1 African) . . . 1 

Baptist • .... 5 

Congregational (Trinitarian) . 4 

Roman Catholic 2 

Universalist 2 



Protestant Episcopal .... 2 
Congregational (Unitarian) . 1 

Friends 1 

Second Advent 1 

Christian 1 



BENEVOLENT, LITERARY, REFORMATORY, AND OTHER 

SOCIETIES. 

Masonic Institutions — five in number, embracing in the ag- 
gregate some 450 members. 

Lynn Free Public Library. Number of volumes, 21,G50. 
Yearly delivery of books, about 75,000. A City institution. 

Young Men's Christian Association. Number of members, 440. 

Odd Fellows' Institutions — four in number, with a membership 
of 1,000 males and about 100 females. Odd Fellows' Hall, on 
Market street, corner of Summer, one t>f the finest and most ex- 
pensive buildings ever erected in Lynn, was dedicated on Mon- 
day, Oct. T, 1872, the corner stone having been laid June 12, 1871. 

Knights of Pythias — two lodges, embracing in all 372 mem- 
bers. 

Knights OF St. Crispin — onelodge, with a membership of 2,500, 

Lynn City Mission — commenced in 1872 — supported by the 
churches and individual contributions. 

Lynn Choral Union — a musical organization with some 225 
members. 

Grand Army of the Republic — Post No. 5 — 300 members. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 113 



Lynn IIome for Aged Women — incorporated Feb. 6, 1874. Its 
object is to provide for the support of ag'od indigent females, not 
otherwise provided for. 

Lynn IIospitai- — formally opened March 31, 1875. 

TEMPEnANCE Societies — six principal organizations, with an 
aggregate member.'^hip of about 2,000. 

Mutual Benefit Societies. There are six of these useful asso- 
ciations, formed for mutual aid in cases of sickness, and f(jr con- 
tribution for the relief of families of deceased members. The ag- 
gregate membership is about 5,000. 

Ladies' Benevolent Societies. There are several of these, under 
dilTereiit names, each having its own sphere of action, and all 
active in the relief of suffering among those who are not so readily 
reached by other means. The " Lynn Female Benevolent So- 
ciety " was organized in 1814, and the "Lynn Female Fragment 
Society" in 1820. 

Bands of Music, (military) — four in number, named Lynn 
Brass Band, Lynn Cornet Band, Union Band, and Wyoma Brass 
Band. 

Then we hav(^ the Lynn Yacht Club, the character of which is 
indicated by its name ; the Lynn Editors' and Printers' Associa- 
tion; the Lynn Medical Society, and a multitude of minor associa- 
tions formed for various purposes of social intercourse and char- 
itable M'oik, which it would be tedious to individualize, the above 
being suflQciently suggestive for the present purpose. 



15 



114 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



BANKS. 

Lynn has three Banks for discount and deposit and two for 
savings, namely : 

First National, incorporated in 1814, as Mechanics Bank. 
Capital, $500,000. 

Central N.a.tional, incorporated in 1849, as Laighton Bank 
Capital, $200,000. 

National City, incorporated in 1854, as City Bank. Capital, 
$300,000. 

Lynn Institution for Savings, incorporated in 1826. Deposits, 
about $1,800,000. Number of depositors, about 5,450. 

Lynn Five Cents Savings Bank, incorporated in 1855. De- 
posits, some $1,100,000. Number of depositors, 8,200. 



SHOE BUSINESS. 

Number of pairs made last year 10,04T,200 

Aggregate value $12,559,000 

Number of manufacturers 176 

The above is perliaps sufficient for our present purpose, as this, 
the principal part of our home industry, is spoken of somewhat at 
largo elsewhere. We are aware that these amounts disagree with 
the State returns, but if not exact, they are as near the truth as 
careful inquiries and estimates can make them. 



HISTORICAL blvETCn. 



115 



NEWSPAPERS. 

Lynn Somi-weckly Reporter, $4.50 per year, established in 1854. 

Lynn Transcript, weekly, $2.00 per year, established in 1867. 

Lynn Record, weekly, $2.00 per year, established in 1872. 

Lynn City Item, weekly, $1.00 per year, established in 1876. 

The Vindicator, weekly, $2.00 per year, established in 1876. 

The first newspaper in Lynn was commenced in 1826. Since 
which date quite a number have lived and died. From the vigor 
of the five now in existence, however, it may reasonably be pre- 
dicted that they are destined to long lives. They all raflk as in- 
dependent, in religion and politics. 



STATISTICAL ITEMS. 

Number of Streets, Courts and Squares, 438. Aggregate length 
of streets, between 90 and 100 miles. 

Number of Families, 7,467. 

Number of Dwellings, 5,067. 

Products of Industry— Manufactures and Fisheries, $20,876,396, 
Agriculture, $88,311. Total, $20,964,707. 

Libraries— Free Public, 1 ; private circulating, 4 ; association, 
1 ; Sunday school, 19. Total, 25. 

Grocery Stores, 110. 

Clergymen, 32. 

Physicians — male, 30, female, 7. Total, 37. 

Lawyers, 17. 

Piinting UlTices, 10. 

Photograph Etf:tablishment8, 7. 



CHAPTER VII. 

General Remarks — Biographical Sketches of Alonzo Lewis and 
James R. Newhall — Chronolog'ical Table of Important and In- 
teresting Events since the First Settlement of Lynn. 

By the foregoing statistical details, perhaps as good 
an idea of the present condition of things in Lynn may 
be obtained as by any other means. And in drawing 
this imperfect sketch to a close, but little further is to be 
said. An attempt has been made to show something of 
the character and condition of the early settlers, the 
perils to which they were exposed, and the heroism with 
which they met them, the privations which they suffered 
and the patience with which they were endured. With 
occasionally somewhat long strides we have followed the 
generations down to the present Centennial Year of the 
Republic, showing something of what has been done by 
the sons and daughters of Lynn for the advancement of 
the nation in the various departments of human pro- 
gress. We would not be over-boastful, though to have 
a lively sense of one's own worth may not be reprehen- 
sible if unaccompanied by depreciation of others. But 
let us now, at this interesting period of our history, se- 

[116] 



IIISTOIIICAL SKETCH. 117 

riously ask if wc have faithfully acquitted ourselves. 
Have we contributed, as we should, to the nation's honor, 
fame, greatness? Have we been true to our trust, the 
trust of one talent if so it be? I think our record is 
fair. In the cheerless days of the Indian conflicts, in 
the trying ones of the Revolution, in the hitcr wars, 
Lynn, we have seen, has n^t been wanting in her con- 
tributions of men and money. And above all, in the 
great conflict with our erring brethren at the South, she 
did more than her duty, if that were possible. But the 
successes of war, thouiih more dazzlins: than those of 
peace, cannot be so directly beneficial to mankind, for 
wars are always demoralizing, and it often requires gen- 
erations to heal the moral wounds they produce ; hence 
it well becomes a christian people, while exulting in 
their victories, to lament their necessity. 

Turning, now, from the martial field, let it be asked. 
Have we honorably acquitted ourselves in the political 
duties of a free people — in the support of honest men 
as rulers, of honest measures in the various departments 
of government? Have wc faithfully discharged those 
pecuniary obligations, in the form of taxation, reason- 
ably required fi)r the maintenance of law and order, and 
otherwise borne our part in the support of measures es- 
tablished for the protection and thrift of us all ? Mean 
indeed are those selfish few, who, while enjoying the 
benefits of good government, are unwilling to share in 
the burdens necessary for its support. Have such of us 
as have been elevated to oflices of trust endeavored to 



118 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

act only as becomes the true lover of his counti'y, or has 
our patriotism been of that spurious kind which is lim- 
ited to the certainty of emolument? 

The grand Centennial Exhibition now in progress at 
Philadelphia will show something of our achievements in 
industrial occupations ; but in the more important prov- 
ince of moral and intellectual attainment, how do we 
really stand ? If we have not acted our part well, let 
the coming generations take heed from our failure, so 
that, w'hen another Centennial Year arrives, a better ac- 
count may be rendered. 

Could one of the little band of settlers who first en- 
tered upon this goodly heritage come forth from his 
unknown resting place, and contemplate our achieve- 
ments in the various material pursuits of human life, 
how unbounded would be his amazement. Our steam- 
driven machinery, our railroads, our telegraphs, and other 
magnificent results of attainment in scientific knowledge, 
and skill in mechanical appliances, would astonish him. 
But would his interest end here ? Cy no means. Re- 
ligion was a leading purpose of his coming, and that 
would be uppermost in his estimate. Would he be 
shocked at our recession from the old faith ? Or would 
he see in the various institutions of which we are so 
proud — our institutions for the relief of human suffering 
in every form, for the advancement of knowledge in 
every department, for the recovery of man's nobler at- 
tributes from the dominion of the sensual and devilish — 
that which would force him to the conclusion that the faith 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 119 

of which such things arc born cannot be vain ? And would 
ho, think you, after taking his brief but comprehensive 
view — his view of onr physical economy, our material 
progress and attainment, our moral and intellectual 
status — congratulate us as free, liberal, and progressive, 
or would lie turn back to his sepulchral honie, mourning 
over unfaithfulness, inconsistency and worldliness ? 

It is a touching if not a melancholy thought, that 
when another Centennial Year shall dawn, not one of all 
the thousands who breathe tlie vital air of these free 
hills, yea, of all the tens of millions who occupy this fa- 
vored land, will be upon the face of the earth. Not 
one ? Nay, possibly here and there a hoary-headed cen- 
tennarian may be found tottering just on the confines of 
the unknown land, impatient to pass within the veil and 
be at rest. 



When the issuing of the present volume was deter- 
mined on, and the suggestion to insert portraits adopted, 
it was proposed that the likenesses should be confined 
to the Mayors. Had the scope of the volume permitted, 
it would have been desirable to introduce those of other 
individuals who have added to the prosperity or fame of 
our city ; but a selection such as any one, however 
honest and fiiir, could possibly make, would in some in- 
stances have been regarded as invidious. The Com- 
mittee of the Council who had the matter in charge, 
however, desired to so far transcend the suggested limit 



120 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

as to insert the likenesses of the "two Historians." as 
they were pleased to call them. The fitness of intro- 
ducing that of Mr. Lewis could not be questioned ; and 
as to the other, it will readily be perceived that under the 
circumstances deference should be paid to the flattering 
request of the Committee. It is often the case that 
the less we know of a man the higher he stands in our 
estimation ; and a little mystery is pretty sure to mag- 
nify. Nevertheless, very few who are long in this world 
pass such barren lives that no passages of interest or real 
benefit are afforded. And not unfrequently is it the 
case that the lessons to be drawn from the lives of those 
in the humbler walks are the most widely useful^ because 
the great multitude are companions in those walks, and 
can the more fully perceive the snares and obstacles to be 
avoided. But these remarks are general, and have no 
special reference to the matter in hand ; so let us pro- 
ceed with our allotted task. 



HISTOIIICAL t^KETCII. 12] 



ALONZO LEWIS. 

Mr. Lewis was born in Lynn on the 28th of Au- 
gust, 1794, in the moaest little dwelling still standing 
on Boston street, nearly opposite Bridge. He was a son 
of Zachariali Lewis, who could trace his lineage to an 
early settler ; and his mother, whoso maislen name was 
Mavy IlndsDn, appears to have descended from the 
family of Henry Hudson, the distinguishe 1 English nav- 
igator, whose name is perpetuated in the noble river 
which contributes so largely to the riches of New York, 
and in the stormy bay of the icy north. 

Though not a college graduate, Mr. Lewis had many 
educational accomplishments ; and as early as his eight- 
eenth year was qualified to take charge of a district 
school ; and in such a school, at Chester, N. IL, he tlien 
began his career as a teacher. Li after life lie writes : 
"I commenced the profession of school teacher from the 
love of it, and devoted all my energies to its advance- 
ment." After teaching in one or two other places, we 
find him, in 182:], preceptor of Lynn Academy ; in 
which position, however, he did not long remain. Sub- 
sequently, for twelve years, he taught in our public 
schools, and then found it expedient to turn his attention 
to other pursuits. In tlie capacity of survoy;)r and civil 
engineer his services were much in (h-uiaud, from his 
promptness and accuracy ; and as an architect he dis- 
played good taste and facility in the preparation of plans. 

10 



122 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

Teaching and surveying may, indeed, be set down as tlie 
occupations of his life, though as a writer he was fre- 
quently employed. 

He early directed his attention to historical studies, 
especially such as pertained to his native place. Many 
hours of those usually devoted by others of his profes- 
sion to recreation, perhaps many that should have been 
devoted to rest, he employed in his favorite investiga- 
tions ; and for his success in rescuing from the tide that 
so relentlessly sweeps on to oblivion so much that is inter- 
esting and valuable to us, is deserving of being forever 
held in grateful remembrance. The first edition of his 
History of Lynn was published in 1829, the second in 
1844, and the third, with a continuation from the last 
date, by the writer of this sketch, in 18G5. It would 
be useless to attempt here an extended notice of his 
labors in this direction, the result having so long been 
before the public. 

Mr. Lewis was also a poet of no ordinary ability, and 
widely known as the " Lynn Bard." As early as 1823 
he published a volume which was well received by the 
public, and by the press highly commended. Another 
edition, with so many additions as perhaps to entitle it 
to be called a new work, appeared in 1831, in a duo- 
decimo volume of 208 pages. Besides these, occasional 
pieces from his pen graced various periodicals of the day. 
To his poetical conceptions are to be attributed many of 
the expressive names by which the romantic and pic- 
turesque localities within our borders are now known ; 
and most of our older streets are designated by names 
suggested by him. He likewise published a map of the 
town, and with great labor prepared a plan of the Na- 
hant lots, as anciently laid out, a plan which has proved 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 123 

of very great value, iu these later years, wlicn lands 
there have so increased in price. In view of liis useful 
labors, there and elsewhere, tlic town granted him, many 
years ago, for a nominal sum, a considerable tract, wliich 
from his survey appeared to be overplus or without an 
owner; and from this he might have realized quite a 
sum. In a quiet way he made a great many suggestions 
which resulted beneficially, and many a day did he de- 
vote to the service of the public, perhaps unasked, and 
without a thought of claiming pecuniary reward. In- 
deed he was one of those, whom we occasionally meet, 
who seem willing to be useful from a higher motive than 
personal recompense ; and had it not been for certain 
eccentricities of temper, that occasionally made him an 
uncomfortable companion, he would have lived in the high- 
est esteem of others and with more satisfaction to himself. 

It was mainly through the efforts of Mr. Lewis that 
the lighthouse on Egg Rock was erected, in 185G. The 
carriage road to Naliant, along the harbor side of the 
beach, was constructed under his supervision, in 1848. 
The city seal was engraved from a drawing made by him. 
And other matters of a public character, like these, some 
of which have been named in previous pages, might be 
alluded to as indications of his watchfulness and interest 
in things about him. 

The worldly condition of Mr. Lewis was not always pros- 
perous, if his own statements were fully accepted ; yet 
his income for the period covered by his services as teach- 
er, at least, was sufficient to supply all common wants. 
The truth is that, lik(> many others of genius, ]i:» was 
quite unable to bring his mind to the exact reckoniug of 
expenditure and gain necessary far thrift under circum- 
stances like his. And his occasional hasty complaints 



124 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

about suffering actual want are rather to be regarded as 
the imaginings of a sensitive mind, depressed and weary 
of buffetings. There was a strong religious element in 
his character, though ho was rather given to denomina- 
tional change. For the principal part of Iiis manhood, 
however, he was strongly attached to the Episcopal 
cliurch, and did much to sustain its early foothold in 
Lynn. In 1833 he applied for admission as a candidate 
for holy orders, and his testimonials were signed by the 
standing committee of the Diocese ; but he does not ap- 
pear to have pursued his intention. 

He was three times married ; or rather twice, for his 
second companion was an ostensible more than a real wife, 
and from her he was soon separated, it appearing that 
she had another living husband. His first wife was 
Frances Maria Swan, of Methuen, Mass., a woman of 
eminent virtues and rare social attractions. By her he 
had six children ; and she died May 27, 1839. His 
other wife, whom he married Aug. 27, 1855, was Annie 
Ilsley Hanson, of Portland, Me., a lady of great Avorth, 
and much younger than himself ; and by her ho had two 
children, one of whom, and the widow, still survive. 

Some twenty years before his death Mr. Lewis built a 
picturesque little cottage on Beach street, so near the 
water that the sonorous waves might lull him to nightly 
repose — a real poet's cot and in a poet's niche. There 
he made his home for the remainder of his life, and 
there he died on Monday, January 21, 1861. 




u<)i^[yv\^e4^''fZ,yy^ 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 125 



JAMES ROBINSON NEWHALL. 

It is a delicate task for one to write of himself, unless 
ho has that in liis history tlie worthiness of which is pa- 
tent and not to he questioned, it requiring no poet to 
assure us that we seldom sec ourselves as others see us. 
But to the task. 

The suhject of this sketch was horn in Lynn on Christ- 
mas day, 1809, in the old Hart house that stood on 
Boston street, at the southwest corner of North Federal, 
the same which on this Centennial Fourth of July dis- 
appeared in a patriotic blaze, amid the shouts of young 
America. All his genealogical lines run back to early 
Lynn settlers. His father's name was Benjamin, and he 
was a direct descendant from Tliomas, tlio first white 
person born here. His mother was a daughter of Joseph 
Hart, W'ho descended from Samuel, one of the first en- 
gaged at the ancient iron works. Both his grandmothers 
were granddaughters of Hon. Ebenezer Burrill, a man 
conspicuous in colonial times and brother of the "be- 
loved Speaker." 

At the age of eleven he left the paternal roof with his 
worldly possessions in a bundle-handkerchief, to make 
Ills way in the wide world, liis mother having died a year 
or two before, and his fallicr liaviiig a large family to 
provide for. But litUe worthy of mention occurred till 
the summer of 1824, wlien, after having worked daily 
and attended various schools, he entered the Salem 



126 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

Gazette office to learn the art and mystery of printing. 
Having served there for two or three years, he conceived 
a strong desire to gain a better knowledge of book print- 
ing than could be obtained in Salem ; and in furtherance 
of this desire procured a place in Boston ; and before 
attaining his majority was installed foreman of one of the 
principal book offices there, his duties, in a general way, 
then being to direct the work and read proofs. And of 
this period many pleasing recollections are retained. In 
the office were printed a large number of classical and 
scientific works, and some of the most eminent men of 
the time frequently dropped in. Anecdotes almost with- 
out number, of such men as Dr. Channing, Dr. Bow- 
ditch, the Cambridge professors, and many of the literary 
rank and file of that day, could be related. 

He was now much his own master, had agreeable as- 
sociates, and on the whole was in a very desirable situa- 
tion. And here a little incident, which occurred about 
this time, obtrudes on the recollection, and may as well 
have utterance. With two or three young men he was 
accustomed almost every evening, after work hours, to 
spend a while in the counting-room of a drug store on 
Milk street, in wdiich one of the number was a clerk ; 
and often on the way home they would stop at the sa- 
loon under old Julian Hall, on the corner of Congress 
street, and call for a dish of oysters or some other re- 
freshment, and at the bar for a drink, such being the 
fashion of the time — not one, however, ever drinking to 
excess. The practice continued for some time ; but late 
on a certain moonlight night, as three of the associates 
came out of the saloon, one of them with some gravity 
remarked, "I do not know how it is with you, but I 
begin to feel as if I must slop here every night." A 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 127 

brief discussion followed this suggestion tliat dangerous 
habits niiglit be forming, and it was promptly agreed 
that the last visit to the saloon had been made ; and the 
agreement was faithfully kept. One of the three is now 
anil has been for many years a highly respected Unita- 
riiiii clergyman ; another was long since commander of 
an East Indiaman, and tlio third is writing this line. 
Possibly to some young man a hint worth considering 
may appear in this trifling narration. 

AVliile still under age, the subject of this sketch, some- 
what in the r(tviiig s[)irit of young printers, went to New 
York, auil the very day after his arrival found employ- 
ment in the Conference office, the largest then in the 
city ; and with a little excusable pride, perhaps, may 
refer to his reputation there as being the fastest type- 
setter in the establishment. 

But at the age of twenty-two he returned to his na- 
tive place, where, after busying himself for several years 
in various ways, chiefly in connection with printing and 
the book business — excepting two or three intervals of 
absence, during one of which he was again in New 
York, employed in the editorial department of a daily 
journal, and writing for one or two weeklies — by the 
kind invitation of a legal friend, he commenced the 
study of law. Completing a regular course, in May, 
1847, he cntenMl the bar, and has ever since remained 
in the profession. Ou the 24th of August, 18GG, he 
was commissioned as Judge of the Lynn Police Court, 
with whi( h he had been connected, as Special Justice, 
IVoiu tlic tiiiK' of its establishment, in 1840, and still 
remains in the ollice — a position of care, responsibility, 
and oilou cniliairas-mont ; was appointed a Trial Justice 
of Juvenile Ollenders, soon alter the establishment of the 



128 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

jurisdiction — an office of peculiar interest and impor- 
tance ; has been a Justice of the Peace and Notary 
Public some thirty years, and at times served in muni- 
cipal positions. 

From youthful waverings in religious faith, he found 
timely rest in the Episcopal fold ; was one of the ear- 
liest members of St. Stephen's church ; and, having ad- 
hered to it through its days of adversity, cannot fail to 
rejoice in its days of prosperity. 

Being interested in historical researches, he published, 
in 183G, the "Essex Memorial"; in 1802, "Lin, or 
Jewels of the Third Plantation"; and in 18G5, the 
" History of Lynn," comprising the admirable work of 
Mr. Lewis, with a continuation embracing some twenty- 
one years. Always retaining a lingering love for the 
compositor's case, he has long kept a font or two of type 
wherewith to amuse leisure hours, and within the last ten 
or a dozen years has completed more than a thousand 
book pages from which electrotype or stereotype plates 
have been cast. 

In 1854, he erected the somewhat conspicuous stone 
dwelling on the base of Sadler's Rock, near the junction 
of Walnut and Ilolyoke streets — a point not only of much 
historic interest, but affording some of the most exten- 
sive and delightful views in our whole territory — and 
continues there to reside. 

In October, 1837, he was united in marriage with 
Miss Dorcas B. Brown, only daughter of Capt. William 
Brown, of Salem, and by her had one son, who died at 
the ago of ten, his mother having died soon after his 
birth. In 1853, he was again married, the second wife 
being Mrs. Elizabeth Campbell, daughter of Hon. Josiah 
Newhall ; and that relation remains unsevered. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 129 



Oi€:i^oisroLOOiC-A.r, t-ajble. 



IG29. Five families, chief among them Edmund Ingalls and liis 

brotlier Francis, arrive and commence the settlement. 
IG30. Thomas Newhall born; being the first person of European 

parentage born here. 
1030. Wolves kill several swine belonging to the settlers, 

Sept. 30. 
1630. Fifty settlers, chiefly farmers, and many of them with 

families, arrive and locate in diflerent parts of the 

territory. 
1G31. Governor Winthrop passed through the settlement Oct. 28, 

and noted that the crops were plentiful. 
1G32. First Church, being the lifth in the colony, formed ; 

Stephen Bachelor, minister. 
lGo3. A corn mill, the first in the settlement, built on Strawberry 

Brook. 
1G34. John Ilumfrey arrives and settles on his farm, near Naluint 

street. 
1634. The settlement sends her first Representative — Capt. Na- 
thaniel Turner — to the General Court. 
IGo-i. William Wood, one of the first comers, publishes his 

" Xevv England's Prospect." 
1G35. Philip Kertland, the first shoemaker, arrives. 
1G37. Name of the settlement changed from Saugus to Lynn. 
1G3T. At this time there were thirty-seven ploughs owned in the 

Colony, most of them in Lynn. 
1G37. Settlement of Sandwich commenced by emigrants from 

Lynn. 
1G38. First division of lands among the inhabitants. 
1G39. Ferry established across Saugus river. 
1G39. First bridge over Saugus river at Boston street crossing 

built. 
IGIO. Kichar.l Sadler, first Clerk of the Writs, appointed. 

17 



130 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

1643. Iron Works established on Saugus river ; first in America. 

1644. Hugh Bert and Samuel Bennett, of Lynn, presented to the 

grand jury, as " common sleepers in time of exercise." 

Both were fined. 
1646. Lynn made a market town — Tuesday, the lecture day, 

being appointed market day. 
1658. Dungeon Rock supposed to have been rent by an earth- 
quake, entombing alive Tliomas Veal, the pirate, with 

treasure. 
1606. A year of disasters. Several die of small pox. "Divers 

are slain by lightning." Grasshoppers and caterpillars 

do much mischief. 
1669. Boniface Burton dies, aged 113 year.s. 
1611. A year remarkable for stoi-ms. A violent snow storm, 

Jan. 18, Avith much thunder and lightning. 

1680. Dr. Philip Read, the first physician here, complains to the 

Court of Mrs. Margaret Gifford, as a witch. 
1080. The great Newtonian comet appears in November, exciting 
much alarm. 

1681. The Court allows Lynn to have two licensed public houses. 
1082. Old Tunnel Meeting-house built. 

1086. Lulian Deed of Lynn given, Sept. 4. 

1687 Thomas Newhall, the first white person born here, dies in 

March, aged 57. 
1688. Excitement about Edward Randolph's petition to Gov. 

Andros for a grant of Nahant. 
1092. Great witchcraft excitement. 
1094. A church fast appointed by Rev. Mr, Shepard, July 19, 

for the arrest of the " spiritual plague " of Quakerism. 

1696. Severe winter ; coldest since the settlement commenced. 

1697. Much alarm in Lynn on account of the small pox. 
1706. Second division of land among the inhabitants. 

1708. A fast held on account of the ravages of caterpillars and 
canker worms. 

1716. Extraordinary darkness at noonday, Oct. 21 ; dinner tables 

lighted. 

1717. Memorable snow storms, Feb. 20 and 24 ; one-story houses 

buried. 
1719. Northern Lights observed for the first time, Dec. 17; a 
startling display. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 131 

1723. Terrific storm, Feb. 21, tbu sea raging and rising to an 

alarming height. 
1723. First mill on Saugus river, at Boston street crossing, built. 
1726. £13.15 awarded to Nathaniel Potter, for linen manufac- 
tured at Lynn. 
1745. Mr. Wliiteiield preaches on Lynn Common, creating much 

excitement. 
17 10. Great drought, hot summer, and immense multitudes of 

grasshoppers. 
1750. John Adam Dagyr, an accomplished shoemaker, arrives. 
1755. Greatest earthquake ever known in New England, Nov. 18. 
1755. Whale, seventy-five feet in length, landed on King's 

Beach, Dec. 9. 
1759. Bear, weighing 400 pounds, killed in Lynn woods. 
1708. Joseph Williams kills a catamount in Lynn Avoods. 
1770. Potato rot prevails. Canker worms commit great ravages. 
1775. Battle of Lexington, April 19 — five Lynn men killed. 
177G. Twenty-six negro slaves owned in Lynn. 
1780. Memorable Dark Day, May 19; houses lighted as at 

night. 
1782. Whole number of votes for governor given in Lynn, 57 ; 

and all but 5 for Hancock. 
1784, General Lafayette passed through Lynn, Oct. 28, the 

people turning out to do him honor. 
1788. General Washington passed through town, in October, 

receiving aflectionatc greetings from old and young. 

1793. Lynn post oCQco established; and first kept on Boston 

street, near Federal. 

1794. On Christmas day, at noon, in the open air, the thermom- 

eter stood at 80 degrees. 

1795. Brig Peggy wrecked on Long Beach, Dec. 9, and eleven 

lives lost. 
179G. The first fire engine for public use purchased. 
ISOO. Memory of Washington honored ; procession and eulogy, 

Jan. 13. 
1800. An elephant first shown in Lynn. 
1800. First dancing school opened. 
1800. Manufacture of morocco leather introduced. 
1803. Boston and Salem Turnpike opened, and Lynn Hotel 

built. 



132 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

1803. A snow Btorm took place in May ; and the singular spec- 
tacle was presented of fruit trecg! in bloom and the 
ground covered with snow. 

1803. Miles Shorey and wife killed by lightning, July 10. 

1804. Independence first celebrated in Lynn. 

1804. Snow fell in July. 

1805. First Masonic Lodge — Mount Carmel — constituted June 10. 
1808. First law office in Lynn opened. 

1808. Great bull fight at Half Way House. Bulls and bull dogs 

engaged. 
1808. Lynn Artillery chartered, Nov. 18, and two brass field 

pieces allowed them. 
1808. Trapping of lobsters first practiced at Swampscott. 

1812. Lynn Light Lifantry chartered, June 30. 

1813. Moll Pitcher, celebrated fortune-teller, died April 9, 

aged 75. 

1814. Lynnfield incorporated as a separate town. 
1814. First Town House built. 

1814. First bank established. 

1815. Saugus incorporated as a separate town. 

1815. Terrific southeast gale, Sept. 23; ocean spray driven sev- 

eral miles inland. 

1816. Great horse trot on the Turnpike, in Lynn, Sept. 1 ; said 

to be the first in New England. Major Stackpole's 
" Old Blue " trotted three miles in eight minutes and 
forty-two seconds. 

1817. President Munroe passed through Lynn. 

1819. The groat sea-serpent appeared off Long Beach. 

1824. General Lafayette visited Lynn, Aug. 31, receiving an en- 

thusiastic welcome ; was addressed by Capt. John White 
in behalf of the town, and returned an affectionate reply. 

1825. First Lynn paper — the Weekly Mirror — issued Sept. 3. 

1827. Broad and brilliant night arch, Aug. 28. 

1828. A whale, sixty feet long, cast ashore on Whale Beach, 

May 2. 

1829. Splendid display of frosted trees, Jan. 10. 

1830. Donald McDonald, a Scotchman, dies in Lynn Almshouse, 

Oct. 4, aged 108 years. lie was at the battle of Quebec 
when Wolfe fell, and with Washington at Braddock's 
defeat. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 133 

1833. Extraordinary shower of meteors, Nov. 13. 

1837. Surplus United States revenue distributed. Lynn re- 

ceived $14,819.00, and applied it to the payment of the 
town debt. 

1838. Eastern Kailroad opened for travel from Boston to Salem, 

Aug. 28. 

1811. The first picture by the new art kn(nvn as Daguerreotype 
or photography ever taken in Lynn, was a landscape, 
taken this year by James R. Ncwliall, by an instrument 
imported from France. 

1848. A splendid comet ; first appeared about noonday, Feb. 1. 

1843. Schooner Thomas wrecked on Long Beach, March It, 
five men perishing. 

1843. Breed's Pond formed. Theophilus N. Breed built a dam 
across the valley, on the northeast of Oak street, flowing 
some fifty acres, and thus forming the pond and securing 
water power for his iron works. 

1846. Mexican war commenced. Lynn furnished twenty vol- 
unteers. 

184G. Congress boots began to be manufactured. 

1846. Destructive fire on Water Ilill, Aug. 9. Large brick silk- 

printing establishment, spice and coffee mill, and two 
or three smaller buildings, destroyed, 

1847. President Polk made a short visit to Lynn, July 5. 

1848. Carriage road over harbor side of Long Beach built. 

1848. Lynn Common fenced. 

1818. George Gray, the Lynn hermit, dies Feb. 28, aged 78. 

1849. Lynn Police Court established. 

1849. Largo emigration to California. 

1850. Lynn adopts the city form of government. 
1850. Pino Grove Cemetery consecrated, July 24. 

1850. Thirteen persons of a picnic party from Lynn ilrowned in 
Lyunficld pond, Aug. 15. 

1850. Ten hour system generally adopted. Bells rung at si.\ p. m. 

1851. On March 18, and April 15, the tide, during violent 

storms, swept entirely over Long Beach. 
1851. John J. Perdy was murd(>red at his boarding house, Mar- 
ket street, June 28. 

1851. Iliram Marble commences the excavation of Dungeon Rock. 

1852. Swampscott incorporated as a separate town. 



134 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

1852. Louis Kossuth, the Hungarian exile, is enthusiastically re- 
ceived in Lynn, May 6. 

1852. Death of Henry Clay noticed by the tolling of bells and 
raising of flags at half-mast, July 3. 

1852. Funeral services in memory of Daniel Webster were held 

in the First Congregational Church, Oct. 29, the day on 
which the statesman was buried at Marshfield. 

1853. Nahant incorporated as a separate town, March 29. 
1853. Prize fight on Lynnfield road, Jan. 3 ; parties arrested. 
1853. Illuminating gas first lighted in Lynn, Jan. 13. 

1853. Cars commence running over Saugus Branch Railroad, 

Feb. 1. 
1853. Patrick McGuire fatally stabbed in Franklin street, Sept. 26. 

1855. City charter so amended that the municipal year com- 

mences on the first Monday of January instead of first 
Monday of April. 

1856. Two bald eagles appeared on the ice in Lynn harbor, 

Jan. n. 
1856. Ezra R. Tebbetts, of Lynn, killed by a snow-slide from a 
house in Bromfield street, Boston, Feb. 12. 

1856. Egg Rock Light shown for the first time, Sept. 15. 

1851. Bark Tedcsco wrecked at Svvampscott, all on board, twelve 

in number, perishing, Jan. 18. 
1851. Small pearls found in muscles at Floating Bridge and Flax 
ponds. 

1857. Trawl fishing began to be practiced this year. 

1858. Telegraphic communication between Lynn and other places 

established. 

1858. Impromptu Atlantic cable celebration, Aug. 11, on the ar- 
rival of the news of Queen Victoria's message to Presi- 
dent Buchanan. 

1858, Blue fish appear in the offing, in large numbers, in early 
autumn, and are supposed to have carried on a success- 
ful war against the menhaden, as bushels of the latter 
were picked up dead on the shore. 

1858. Magnificent comet, Donatis, visible in the northwest, in 
the autumn. 

1858, Catholic Cemetery consecrated Nov, 4, by Bishop Fitz- 
patrick. 



HISTORICAL SKETCn. 135 

1859. British bark Vernon, from ^lessiiia for Boston, driven 
ashore on Long Beach, Feb. 2. Crew saved by life- 
boat. 

1859. Roman Catholic Church, Ash street, burned, May 28. 

1859. Brilliant display of northern lights; whole heavens cov- 
ered, Aug-. 28. 

1859. Union Street Methodist meeting-house destroyed by fire 
Nov. 20. 

1859. Lynn church bells were tolled at sunrise, noon and sunset, 

Dec. 2, in observance of the execution of John Brown, 
at Charlestown, Va. 

1860. Harbor so frozen, in January, that persons walked across 

to Bass Point. 

1860. Shoemakers' great strike commenced in February. 

1860. Prince of Wales passed through Lynn, Oct. 20. 

1860. First horse railroad cars commence running, Nov. 29, 

1860. Market street first lighted by gas, Dec. 1. 

1861. Alonzo Lewis, historian and poet, dies, Jan. 21, aged 66. 
1861. Splendid comet suddenly appears, July 2, the tail of 

which had actually swept the earth throe days before, 
producing no disturbance, and only a slight apparently 
auroral light in the atmosphere. 
18(51. The extensive edifice known as Nahant Hotel destroyed 
by fire, Sept. 12. 

1861. Lynn Light Infantry and Lynn City Guards, two full com 

pajiies, start for the seat of the Southern Rebellion, 
April 16, only four days after the attack on Fort Sum- 
ter, and but five hours after the arrival of the requisi- 
tion of President Lincoln. 

1862. Lynn Free Public Library opened. 

1862. Enthusiastic war meeting on Lynn Common, Sunday, Aug. 

31 ; services omitted at churches. 
1862. Soldiers' Burial Lot, in Pine Grove Cemetery, containing 

3,600 square feet, laid out. 

1862. Nathan Breed jr. murdered in his store, on Summer street, 

Dec. 23. 

1863. Extraordinary ravages of caterpillars and canker worms. 

1864. The thermometer rose to 101 degrees in shady places in 

Lynn, June 25 ; indicating the warmest day, here, of 
which there had been anv record. 



136 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

1864. Great drought and extensive fires in the woods during 

the summer. 
1864. First steam fire engine owned by the city arrived, Aug. 11. 
1864. The old Town House, (built in 1814), burned Oct. 6, and 

Joseph Bond, confined in the lockup, burned to death. 

1864, The schooner Lion, from Rockland, Me., Avas wrecked on 

Long Beach, Dec. 10, and all on board, six in ininibcr, 
perished. Their cries were heard above the storm, but 
they could not bo reached. 

1865. News of the fall of Richmond received, April 3. Great 

rejoicing — bells rung, buildings illuminated, bonfires 
kindled. 
1865. News of the assassination of President Lincoln received, 
April 15, Mourning insignia displayed in public build- 
ings and churches. 

1865. Corner stone of City Hall laid, Nov. 28. 

1866. Gen. Sherman passed through Lynn, July 16, and was cor- 

dially greeted. 

1866. A meteoric stone fell in Ocean street, in September. 
186T. Terrific snow storm, Jan. 17. 

1867. Balloon ascension from Lynn Common, July 4. 

1867. City Hall dedicated, Nov. 30. 

1868. Decoration Day observed, May 30. Soldiers' graves 

strewed with fl(jwers. 
1868. niram Marble, excavator of Dungeon Rock, died Nov. 10, 
aged 65, having pursued his arduous and fruitless labors 
about 17 years. 

1868. Very destructive fire on Market street, Dec. 25. Lyceum 

building, Frazicr's and Bubier's brick blocks destroyed. 
Whole loss about $300,000. 

1869. Mary J. Hood, a colored woman, died Jan. 8, aged 104 

years and 7 months. 

1869. Another destructive fire occurred on the night of Jan. 25. 
It commenced in the brick shoe manufactory of Edwin 
H. Johnson, on Munroe street, and consumed property 
to the amount of some $170,000. 

1869. On the evening of April 15, there was a magnificent dis- 
play of beautifully tinted aurora borealis, during which 
a meteor of great brilliancy shot across the eastern sky. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. loT 

18G9. Severe gale on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 8 ; next in vi- 
olence to that of Sept 23, 1815. Several small build- 
in^Ts destroyed, and a multitude of trees uprooted. 
More than four hundred shade trees prostrated in Lynn. 

1869. The Turnpike throup^Ii Lynn, from Salem to Chelsea Bridge, 

became a pul)lic higliway this year. 
1SG9. Sidney B. Pratt died, Jan. 29, aged 54. lie was long in 
a successful express business, and left by will, ior the 
benelit of the Free Public Library, $10,000. 

1870. Young Men's Christian Association incorporated, March 31. 
1870. The first regatta of the Lynn Yacht Club took place, 

Juno 17. 
1870. Land near Central railroad depot sold at $5 per square 
foot ; the highest rate up to this time. 

1870. The uew brick market house on Central avenue opened for 

trade, Nov. 19. 

1871. Electric fire alarm established. 

1871. President Grant passed through Lynn, Oct. 16. 

1872. Cit}' Hall bell raised to its position in the tower, March. 2. 
1872. Meeting of City Council commemorative of the recent 

death of Prof. Morse, inventor of the electric telegraph, 
April 16. 

1872. S. 0. Breed's box factory, foot of Commercial street, struck 
by lightning, and totally consumed, Aug. 13. The sum- 
mer of this year was remarkable for the frequency and 
severity of its thunder storms. 

1872. Brick house of worship of First Church, South Common 
street, corner of Vine, dedicated, Aug. 29. 

1872. Ingalls and Cobbet school houses dedicated. 

1872. Odd Fellows' Hall, Market street, corner of Summer, 
dedicated Oct, 7. 

1872. Brick and iron depot of Eastern Railroad, Central Sijuare, 
built. 

1872. Singular disease, called epizootic, prevailed among horses 
during the latter part of autumn. \Vhei'l carriages al- 
most entirely ceased to run, excepting as drawn by oxen, 
and sometimes by men. All sorts of odd turnouts ap- 
peared in the streets. The disease, though iu»t in many 
cases fatal, was disabling and evidenlly paintul. being a 
kind of catarrhal lever. 
18 



138 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

1872. Much speculation in real estate ; prices hig"h, and business 
active. 

1872. Pine Hill Rcservor built. 

1873. Pumping engine at Public Water Works, Walnut street, 

first put in operation Jan. 14, sending' water from Breed's 
Pond into the Pino Hill Reservoir. 

1873. English sparrows make their appearance in Lynn — prob- 
ably the progeny of those imported into Boston. 

1873. Soldiers' Monument, Park square, dedicated Sept. 17. 

1873. Concrete street crossings began to be laid this year. 

1873. Grand Masonic parade, Oct. 22. 

1873. Friends' Biennial Conference held in Lynn, Nov. 19. 

1873. Birch Pond formed, by running a dam across Birch Bi'ook 
valley, on the east of Walnut street, near Saugus line. 

1873. Two whales appeared off Egg Rock, Nov. 30. 

1874. " Lynn Home for Aged Women " incorporated. Feb. 6. 

1874. Grand celebration of St. Patrick's Day in Lynn, March 17 

by the Irish organizations of Essex county. 

1875. Lynn Hospital formally opened, March 31. 

1875. Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad opened for 
travel, July 22. 

1875. Sea serpent alleged to have been seen off Egg Rock, in 
August. 

1875. The General Convention of Univei'salists in the United 
States commenced a session here Oct, 20 ; weather good 
and attendance large ; Christian courtesy extended by 
people of all denominations, in the entertainment of del- 
egates. 

1875. Great dcpi'ession in business affairs; many tradesmen and 
merchants fail, and real estate almost unsalable even at 
greatly reduced prices. 

1875. Unusual nuinb(n' of " tramps," that is, homeless wanderers 

from place to place, appear in Lymi, and receive tempo- 
rary relief 

1876. The great World's Exposition, at Philadelphia, opens May 

10, A number of our business men place articles of 
their manufacture on exhibition, and on the whole the 
city makes a good show. A large number of men, 
women and children from Lynn attend the exhibition 
during the six months it remains open. 




Alhrrtnjw. /■orhes ( , 



CITY HALL, LYNN, MASS. 
1867. 



PART II. 

With BiocRAPnicAL Notices. 

When the twelve living individuals coming within the 
category above indicated were informed of the desire of 
the committee of the City Council, having in charge the 
publication of the present volume, to have the Portraits 
of all the Mayors appear, with brief Biographical No- 
tices, a little diffidence was manifested by some as to 
being made thus to figure ; but the propriety of the thing 
was so apparent that irresolution was overcome, and the 
necessary material furnished. 

It will be readily understood that the true purpose was 
not to give histories of the lives and characters of the 
individuals ; but simply to present such facts as would 
indicate the principal features of their personal history, 
and show their general usefulness in the community by 
whom they were honored. Under such a view, it will 
be seen that the propriety of the eulogistic style would 
be questionable. Indiscriminate laudation would cer- 
tainly be unwarrantable. Simple facts form the basis on 
which a proper judgment must rest ; and, wilhout such 
a basis, praise is a mere phantom. As the lawyer says 

[139] 



140 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

to the witness, " Give us the facts and we will draw in- 
ferences and form conclusions." The sketches are mostly 
of men now among us, and an attempt to give an unde- 
served glossing would border on the ridiculous. 

There is no great difference in the length of the Bio- 
graphical Sketches ; but no one would base his estimate 
of worthiness on the mere length of the notice ; espe- 
cially when informed that in more than one instance the 
parties almost demanded that nothing should be said be- 
yond what the plan absolutely required ; and in one 
instance, particularly, where pages of peculiar in- 
terest might have been written, there was an earnest 
request that not more than one page should be occupied. 
It was of course the desire of the Committee that suffi- 
cient space should be allowed for a satisfactory notice of 
each individual. But it was necessary to fix some limit ; 
and the limit concluded on was four pages, that seeming 
to afford quite as much space as could in any case be de- 
sired. This was not done under the apprehension that 
if four pages were not sufficient no number Avould be, 
nor on the ground that every life could be reduced to 
one exact pattern, but in the honest desire to have an 
impartial allotment of the limited space. 

It would, perhaps, have been better to have had all 
the Notices prepared by one person, the proper data being 
furnished to him ; in that case, an uniformity would have 
been preserved, which is necessarily lost where different 
pens arc employed. But on the other hand a disturb- 
ance of such uniformity might, by admitting variety, in- 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. 141 

sure a more spicy flavor. Under tlicsc circumstances", 
no one will bo inclined to draw comparisons ; for hero, 
most certainly, they would be odious. The writer of 
the Historical Sketch has cheerfully contributed a con- 
sideral)le nunil)er ; and in Ihein endeavored fairly to pre- 
sent the most illustrative points. 

Perhaps no further remarks are needed on the intro- 
duction of the Portraits ; yet it may be well to add that 
they are taken from photographs, and all seem to be re- 
markably faithful pictures. Some do not represent the 
Mayors while in office ; but none were taken at times 
varying- much from the official periods. And where shall 
we look for a more dignified array? In other parts of 
this volume will be found statements showing the precise 
time each one occupied the executive chair ; for the pe- 
riods of service varied considerably ; changes sometimes 
occurring from the desire of the incumbent to withdraw^ ; 
sometimes from division on sectional questions, and some- 
times, perhaps, through popular caprice. But it is com- 
forting to consider that mere political sentiment has sel- 
dom had much influence. The measures, even the most 
prominent, of each administration, could not, of course, 
be dwelt upon in a Avork of this kind ; nor is it neces- 
sary, for tlie public records and reports are open to all 
who arc ( iirious in such matters. 

That Lynn has, on the whole, been quite fortunate in 
the selection of her cliief magistrates, no one will prob- 
ably question. They liave l)een faithful and sincerely 
desirous of promoting the public interest. And every 



142 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

one, without doubt, were the question asked this very 
hour, would find numbers who would pronounce him the 
best of all ; a fact which would certainly indicate a grat- 
ifying average. 

Lynn has not a very long list of Mayors to present, for 
she did not become a city till 1850, but she has enough 
to form the worthy beginning of a line which, we trust, 
will extend to far-off generations ; and our prayer is 
that, as greater interests develop with increasing popula- 
tion, she may never fail to find among her sons those as 
faithful, able and patriotic, as these. In closing these 
introductory remarks it should be added that the name 
of another worthy citizen would have appeared in the 
line had he not positively declined to accept the office 
of Mayor after having been elected, in 1854 — the Hon. 
Thomas B. Newhall. 



MAYORS OF LYNN. 



143 



GEORGE HOOD. 

George Hood, the first Mayor of the city of Lynn, 
was a native of the town of Lynn, having been born here 
on the 10th of November, 180G. The Ilood family is 
among the earliest mentioned in the annals of Lynn, 
being descended from Richard Hood, who emigrated from 
Essex connty, in England, abont 1G40, and settled at 
Lynn. Dying in 1G95, he left three sons, Richard, John 
and Nathaniel. Richard, the eldest of these, falling heir 
to the " Naliant road " property— some thirty acres— now 
bounded in part by Nahant street, afterwards exchanged 
it with Jabez Breed for certain land on the peninsula of 
Nahant, and went thither to live ; and there his descend- 
ants have ever since resided. This Richard had a son 
Abner, who had a son Abncr, who married Mary Richard- 
son, and they were the parents of the subject of this sketch. 
While he was an infant the family removed to Nahant, 
and there, in the little village school, he received all his 
youthful intellectual training. He learned the trade 
whic'li nearly all the boys of Lynn followed, that of shoe- 
making, and at the age of twenty-two, in company with 
John C. Abbott, he went to the then far West to seek 
his fortune. They directed their course to St. Louis, 
Missouri, at that time, in 1820, a small place. In a few 
days they were established in business, and within a 
month Mr. Ilooil, with a part of their stock, went down 
to Natchez, in Mississippi, an<l commenced a branch es- 
tablishment, wliicli he continued to manag(> till 1835 ; 



144 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

the principal business remaining meanwhile at St. Louis. 
In the last named year he returned to Lynn, and estab- 
lished a commission shoe and leather business in Boston, 
retaining, however, an interest in the western business 
till 184L In his Boston business he continued till the 
time of his decease. 

Not long after his return to the East, Mr. Hood became 
active in the political field. He was a very prominent 
member of the old Democratic party ; fought manfully 
for its interests, and his valuable services were acknowl- 
edged by his nomination, and frequently by his election, 
to various high positions. In addition to town offices, 
he was several times chosen a Representative to the 
General Court ; and in that of 1843 was a Senator, In 
the gubernatorial campaign of 184G he was the Demo- 
cratic candidate for the office of Lieutenant Governor ; 
but that party did not prevail, nor in fact hope to, the 
Whig party at that time and for many years dominating 
the state. In 1852 Mr. Hood was nominated by his party 
for a seat in the National House of Representatives, but 
was not elected ; the Whig candidate, as w^as then usual 
in this congressional district, being chosen. In the next 
year, 1853, Mr. Hood was a member of the convention 
for revising the Constitution of Massachusetts. 

Continuing meanwhile his mercantile business, which 
he prosecuted with vigor and success, he took a very 
active part in the establishment of the Shoe and Leather 
Fire and Marine Insurance Company, of Boston, in 1853, 
and was chosen its first president ; which office he con- 
tinued to hold till his resignation in September, 1858. 
Mr. Hood's activity was not confined to business and po- 
litical affairs ; but the great social questions of the day 
found in him an earnest inquirer and a practical worker. 



GEORGE HOOD. 145 

lie manifested ti generous .sympathy for the hil)oring 
classes, and was one of the foremost in In-eaking up tlie 
old rustoni of iudcfinitely protracted labor, and estab- 
lishing the so-called ten-hour system ; his favorite motto 
being — "the greatest good of the greatest number." 
In the general improvement and culture of the people he 
took a lively and practical interest. In religious matters 
he was, during his mature years, a prominent and efficient 
member of the Unitarian denomination, and a constant 
attendant upon its public worship. 

Tlie crowning public work of Mr. Hood was that of his 
two years' mayoralty. He had been opposed to the 
adoption of the city form of government, and in the 
spring of 1849 had successfully led the opposition to the 
acceptance of the charter granted by the Legislature of 
that year. His ground of objection was that a city gov- 
ernment was less democratic — using that word in its 
broadest sense — than that of a town. But the agitation 
was continued ; and in April, 1850, another charter was 
granted, which on April I'Jth was accepted by the people. 
Despite his opposition to the system he was chosen Mayor 
— though by a small majority of about twenty, over his 
opponent, Thomas Bowler, the veteran Town Clerk of 
the preceding twenty years. In his first inaugural he 
characteristically and gracefully said : 

" Before proceeding to the business immediately before us, it 
seems to be appropriate to tlie occasion to revert briefly to our 
venerable system of town government, of which we have taken 
Icav'c forever, and to pay a passin'g tribute to the memory of the 
conscientious men who, in the midst of toil, privation and peril, 
founded, cherished and transmitted it to us as a rich inheritance. 
According to Lewis's History, 'the first white men known to have 
been inhabitants of Lynn were Edmund Ingalls and his brother 
Francis Ingalls,' wlu) came here in the year lOl'".*. The next year 
19 



146 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

came Allen Breed, Thomas Newhall, George Burrill, Edward 
Baker, John Ramsdell and Richard Johnson. In 1635, Henry 
Collins. In 1640, Andrew Mansfield, Richard Hood, Edward 
licson and Henry Rhodes — all of whom have representatives in 
this City Council, and perhaps others of whose history I have not 

been informed Our town government has accomplished its 

mission ; its successful operation for more than two centuries has 
proved the capacity of man for self-government ; it has proved 
that the safest repository for power is in the hands of the people. 
During this long period we hear of no abuse of power by them, 
nor of those to whom they entrusted the care of the town govern- 
ment. They taxed themselves liberally for all necessary objects 
of public improvement. The church and the school-house grew up 
together, both significant monuments of advancing civilization." 

He was re-elected in March, 1851, by a large major- 
ity ; which fact was an undeniable tribute to his fidelity 
and ability. 

Mr. Hood was a man of much more than ordinary in- 
telligence, and of indomitable industry. Both in his 
public and his personal affairs he was a logical thinker and 
a prompt and practical worker. He died on the 20th of 
June, 1859, and his body is interred in his family lot in 
Pine Grove Cemetery. 

Mr. Hood married Hermione, a daughter of Major 
Aaron Breed — a prominent citizen of Lynn, who for a 
number of years was a member of the General Court — 
on September 11, 1833, and she still survives. They 
had thirteen children: Harriet M., George A., Adelaide 
M., Edwin E., Edwin, Julius S., Henrietta A., Henry, 
Caroline P., Aubrey, Ada H., Edward K., and Mary. 



MAYORS OF LYNN. 



147 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN MUDGE. 

Mr. Mudge, the second Mayor of Lynn, was in- 
augurated June IG, 1852. He was bom in Onington, 
Me'., Aug. 11, 1817, was a son of James Mudge, and 
Rutii, his wife, and a descendant, by bis paternal grand- 
mother, from one of the Ingalls brothers, the first known 
white settlers of Lynn. Ilis parents removed from Lynn 
to Orrington in 1805, and returned in 1818. Here he 
attended the common school till fourteen years of age, 
and then was put to shoemaking, which trade he followed 
for six years, the last two of which were spent in the 
manufactory of Joseph M. Nye, as a cutter. In 1837 
he entered the grammar school under the charge of John 
Batchelder ; and afterward fitted for college at the oil 
Lynn Academy, under Jacob Batchelder. While fitting 
for college he taught a school in Topsfield, and afterward 
taught a year in the Seventh Ward of Lynn. 

Mr. Mudge graduated at the Wesleyan University, 
Middletown, Connecticut, with the 1840 class, and 
soon after returned to Lynn and entered the office of 
Jeremiah C. Stickney as a law student. By diligent 
study he in two years qualified himself to enter the bar 
on examination ; and immediately after entering ^coni- 
menced practice in Lynn, continuing till 185'.l. liy his 
ability, tact and genial manners he soon secured a good 
practice and many fast friends. But he appears to have 
had too strong a love for scientific pursuits to yield that 



148 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

resolute and constant devotion to the dry tomes of law 
which perfect success in the profession demands, and in 
the year last named went westward, and soon accepted 
the office of chemist for the Breckenridgo Coal and Oil 
Company, in Kentucky. On the breaking out of the war 
of the Rebellion he removed to Kansas, where, in 1863, 
lie received the appointment of State Geologist — geology 
and mathematics having ever been his favorite studies. 
In 18G5 he was elected Professor of " Geology and As- 
sociated Sciences," in the State Agricultural College, at 
Manhattan. In that position he remained some eight 
years, and presented to the institution his rare and valu- 
able cabinet, including collections of more than thirty 
years. 

Since 1874 Mr. Mudge has been employed in explor- 
ing the geological formations of western Kansas ; and 
has had marked success in the discovery of rare and 
unique forms of vertebrate fossils. The first specimen 
of birds with teeth, described by Professor Marsh, Am. 
Jour, of Science, vol. iv., page 34, was found by him. 
He also furnished many of the original specimens for the 
engravings in late government publications ; and has 
been employed by Dr. F. N. Ilayden, United States Ge- 
ologist, in describing the tertiary and cretaceous periods 
in Kansas, for the Geological Survey of Territories. 

During the last three years more than half of his time 
has been spent in camp life, beyond the settlements, with 
from two to four assistants. The ground covered by his 
researches is often traversed by hostile Indians, and on 
three occasions, coming on them suddenly, a fight seemed 
inevitable. At one time, wdien alone, he encountered 
seven Arrapahoes ; but in all cases has had the good 
fortune to escape without exchanging shots. He con- 



MAYORS OF LYNN. 149 

tiiiucs to pursue his scientific studies with great diligence 
and increasing interest ; over stimuhited by the new won- 
ders developed by liis field work. He is a member of 
the American Association for the Advancement of Sci- 
ence, and of other scientific bodies, and was instrumental 
in founding the Kansas Academy of Sciences, of which 
institution he was the first president. The "writer of 
this sketch is informed that this very year the office of 
State Superintendent of Public Instruction was tendered 
him, but scientific field work had stronger charms. 

It is pleasant to find our old fellow-townsman thus 
prosperous, and to perceive that by our loss others have 
so gained ; and perhaps nothing more surely indicates 
the esteem in which he is held than the frequent enco- 
miums of the press. " We have no more valuable or 
reputable a citizen in the commonwealth," remarks a 
late Kansas publication. "His private character is 
without a stain, and his professional zeal undoubted. . . . 
Pro1)ably more students have passed through his class 
room to a higher grade of scientific scholarship than 
through that of any other professor in Kansas. . . . Pro- 
fessor Mudge has visited almost every part of our state, 
and has contributed much to its development by his sug- 
gestions in regard to its salt and coal mines." Another 
observes, "Professor Mudge has done a great work for 
Kansas in determining the original condition of this sec- 
tion of the country. His researches have been extensive 
and have resulted in great acquisitions to the scientific 
learning of the day." 

The Lawrence "Western Home Journal" thus notices 
a recent lecture t)f his : " Prof. Mudge's lecture on the 
' Geology of Kunsa-;,' at University liall, last evening, 
was well attended, and gave the greatest satisfaction to 



150 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

lovers of that science. His treatment of the subject 
was masterly in its every detail, and even to those un- 
acquainted with the study of geology was very interest- 
ing. Persons visiting the hall last evening came away 
not only highly entertained, but greatly edified." 

Mr. Mudge, while among us, took an active interest 
in public affairs, and was a ready and influential speaker. 
In educational matters, in reform movements, particu- 
larly temperance, he was not found lagging. On the 
IGth of September, 1846, he married Miss Mary E. A. 
Bickford, an accomplished young lady then residing in 
Lynn, though of Baltimore parentage, and they have 
been blessed by the following named children, those not 
living being marked by a star: Melville R, Josiah B., 
Eusebia B., *Frank Peabody, *Twins. 



MAYORS OF LYNN. 



161 



DANIEL COLLINS BAKER. 

Mr. Baker, the third ISIayor of Lynn, was inaugu- 
rated April 4, 1853. He was a native of the town, born 
on the 14th of October, 1810, and was a son of Elisha 
Baker, a prominent member of the Society of Friends. 

The education of the subject of this sketch was com- 
menced in a common school of the town, and completed 
at the Friends' Boarding School in Providence, R. I., 
which he left before he was thirteen years of age, after 
a pupilage of about a year and a half. 

His first employment, like that of so many others of 
Lynn's most enterprising sons, was shoemaking. He did 
not, however, long occupy the operative's seat, but soon 
commenced manufacturing, in a small way, on his own 
account. He was not one, however, who could be con- 
tented in the day of small things, unless it promised to 
be a very short day. Step by step he progressed, and 
while still a young man was in the shoe and leather bu- 
siness, in Boston, a member of the firm of F. S. New- 
hall and Company. Siibsecpiently he was again in Lynn, 
doing a large manufacturing business in connection with 
his brother Ezra. 

He was made a director of the Exchange Bank of 
Boston, on its establishment, in 1847 ; and- when the 
Howard Banking Company, of Boston, went into opera- 
tion, was chosen its president. 

Mr. Baker was engaged in several other enterprises, 
financial and otherwise, perhaps with the usual success 



152 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

of the bold, sometimes rash, operator. He was to some 
extent, though not so deeply as his brother Ezra and 
some others, interested in the great Nahant Hotel estab- 
lishment. That was an edifice which will be remem- 
bered by many of our citizens with much interest. It 
was constructed of wood, with the exception of the small 
part built in 1819, which was of stone ; was in some 
parts five and others four stories in height ; was some- 
thing more than four hundred feet in length, and con- 
tained three hundred rooms. It was sufficient for the 
accommodation of a thousand visitors at a time, six hun- 
dred of whom could be seated together in the dining 
hall ; magnetic wires connected it with Boston ; and it 
had every appliance of a first-class public house. But it 
does not appear to have ever been successful in any other 
way than drawing on the purses of the proprietors, 
though well filled Avitli a good class of guests during the 
short watering season on the peninsula. It was destroyed 
by fire on the night of Sept. 12, 18G1 ; and the confla- 
gration made a striking display as seen from Lynn and 
adjacent places. 

For some years Mr. Baker was an active politician, 
and frequently in office. In 1849 and '50 he was a State 
Senator. At the organization of the first city govern- 
ment he was chosen President of the Common Council, 
and did excellent service in regulating the new mu- 
nicipal machinery. As a presiding officer he stood 
high, disposing of business with more than common fa- 
cility, and demeaning himself with great courtesy. As 
a citizen he was ever ready to bear his part of the pub- 
lic burden ; and not unfrequently, at inconvenience and 
cost to himself, served those whose interests were in dan- 
ger. As an instance, it is remembered that at one time, 



DANIEL C. BAKER. 153 

when there was some difli;julty about the fishing bounties, 
he went to Washington and succeeded in arranging mat- 
ters, so far as the fishermen of Swampscott were con- 
cerned, in the most satisfactory manner. On his return, 
those hardy toilers of the soa, ascertaining what he had 
accomplished, and how deeply they were indebted to him, 
rcfj[uested him to freely state what compensation he de- 
sired, at the same time intimating that thoy wore dis- 
posed to bo really generous. " Well," he said, " as to 
the matter of compensation, I never thought much jil)out 
it ; but if you will make one of your very best chow- 
ders, and invite me down to partake with you, we will 
call it sr[uarc." The chowder was made ; and a jolly 
time they had in disposing of it. But they did some- 
thing more — christened one of their pet jiggers with 
his name. 

He was somewhat inclined to display, and joined 
heartily in public entertainments and political demon- 
strations ; was liberal in sentiment, free in expenditure, 
and had a kind heart. His suavity of manners and gen- 
eral intelligence made him ever companionable and wel- 
come. And his cordial greetings, and readiness to assist 
others who like himself were struggling in adverse tides, 
will lonsr be remembered to his credit. He manifested 

o 

no disposition, when on a height, to remove the ladder 
by which he had ascended, that others might not follow. 
And in his management of affairs, while Mayor, ho seems 
to have furnished the rare oxample of one more prudent 
and careful of the puljlic tlian of his own personal 
interest. 

In 1859 he went to New Orleans, and was tlioro in a 
successful business on the breaking out of the war of tho 
Rebellion. His prospects were then destroyed lor the 

20 



154 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

time, and he came back to Lynn, reduced in means, and 
in a measure disheartened. The next year he returned 
to New Orleans, in the hope of saving something from 
his war-scattered fortunes, but was not very successful ; 
and there he died on the 19th of July, 18G3. 

Mr. Baker built the fine residence on Franklin street, 
opposite Laighton, the same now owned and occupied by 
Hon. Samuel M. Bubier, Mayor elect for 1877, and re- 
sided there for a number of years. He was united in 
marriage with Augusta A., daughter of John B. Chase, 
on the 19th of December, 1838, the ceremony taking 
place according to the custom of the Friends, and had 
three children — one son and two daughters. 






6. 



Ciy^^~~e 



MAYORS OP LYNN. 155 



THOMAS PAGE RICHARDSON. 

Mr. Richardson is the son of Beiij. Richardson, and 
was born at the homestead on North Common street, 
July 27, 1816. He attended the public schools of Lynn 
until fourteen years old, and then learned the shoe- 
maker's trade. At the age of twenty he spent one year 
in the Wesleyan Academy at Wilbraham. 

lie began business as a shoe manufacturer in 1840, in 
company with Harrison Newhall, his early and life-long 
friend. January, 1843, he commenced upon his own ac- 
count. May 19, 1841, he was married to Harriet Tap- 
ley — a happy union, blessed with four children, Charles 
Chamberlain, Mary Eliza, Philip Preston and Harriet 
Page, the second of whom alone, it is sad to say, now 
survives. In business Mr. R. has ever been distinguislicd 
by industry, prudence and energy. He always aimed to 
manufacture a superior quality of goods, and build up his 
reputation on a substantial basis, dealing frankly and 
justly by all parties with whom he had relations in trade. 
Success has crowned his efforts, giving him excellent 
credit, and the moans of comfort, generous hospitality 
and bonrvolcnt activity. 

The pul)lic confidence reposed in his ability and in- 
tegrity may be seen by considering the numerous and 
iniitnrtant civil and ecclesiastical ollices that he has hon- 
orably tilled, and the public interests that have been 
safely committeil t»> his cure. He was clioscn (o tlie 
office of Selectman in IS-jO, tlie year that Lvnn became 



156 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

a city, and was a member of the Common Council in 
1850 and 1851. In 1854 ho was elected Mayor, taking 
the oath of oC&ce April 3. He was director of the Laigh- 
ton Bank from 1849 to 1854, when, resigning, he was 
elected a director in the City Bank, and still holds that 
position in the National City Bank of Lynn. He has 
also been Vice President of the Five Cents Savino-s Bank 
from the date of its organization. In all of these impor- 
tant and responsible positions and relations Mr. R.'s con- 
duct has been characterized by intelligence, frankness, and 
spotless integrity. The confidence of the citizens in his 
fidelity and incorruptible honesty has in no case been 
disturbed, and has indeed become perfectly established. 
In early life Mr. R. became identified with the Common 
St. Methodist E. Church, and has been called to fill all 
of the offices open to laymen in that church, such as 
class-leader, steward, trustee, teacher and superintend- 
ent of the Sunday school. His counsel has been desired 
in many of the important organizations of Christian and 
benevolent activity. For twenty years he has been a 
Trustee of the Wesleyan Academy at Wilbraham. He 
now is, and during several years has been. President of 
the Asbury Camp Meeting Association, has been several 
times a delegate to the New England Annual Conference, 
and in 187 G was delegate to the General Conference held 
in the city of Baltimore. 

The confidence of the public in his business integrity 
is not greater than that had in the sincerity and purity 
of his Christian character. Though always true to the 
obligations arising from the relations sustained by him- 
self to his own denomination, to which he is ardently 
attached, he has ever given a generous response to de- 
mands made by outside organizations aiming to promote 



THOMAS p. RICHARDSON. 157 

public morals, relieve suffering, suppress crime, ignorance 
and misery, and has cherished a true Ijrotherly and 
catholic spirit towards all denominations (jf Christians. 
Every interest of education, morals and philanthropy, 
has found in him a friend. 

It is well known that a frank, outspoken expression of 
opinion characterizes Mr. R., but it is grounded in an 
honest and true heart, which detests untruthfulness and 
guile, and cherishes nothing but good will towards all 
men. 

Upon a fair and candid estimate of the virtues and 
life of Mr. Richardson, we can confidently pronounce the 
city happy which may be blessed and honored by citi- 
zens and public servants marked by so much true moral 
and Christian integrity, usefulness and fidelity. 

Such a life has its lessons. 

Wc see that the true citizen has influence outside of 
his profession. He finds contact with society at many 
important points, other than those involved in his busi- 
ness connections. Indeed he makes the fruit of his 
skill and industry, by the sound principles and methods 
of his business, the means of his own culture and the 
promotion of public welfare. 

A shoe manufixcturer, as we have seen, can diffuse a 
salutary influence in many important directions, beyond 
the limits of mere business life. 

Every man, who makes such use of his talents and 
opportunities, adds greatly to the moral forces that pro- 
mote the best interests of the city or state, while he 
whose whole life is in his business is of little account to 
anybody but himself, however prospered in the acfiuisi- 
tion of riches. The possibilities of usefulness with pub- 
lic men are unlimited. But this fact is best realized 



158 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

when illustrations of honorable success stand out before 
the eye. To be able to see, from the beginning, the suc- 
cessive steps that have led one, still living, to honor, 
usefulness and public esteem, tends to awaken the no- 
blest aspirations of others and especially youthful minds. 

Wealth, learning and genius often give distinction to 
communities, but neither of these can claim the highest 
place ; for they have sometimes not been wanting in 
individuals and communities sunken to the lowest depths 
of moral degradation. 

The citizen or public officer who is to contribute, while 
he is living and when dead, the most important influence 
to the welfare of the city, must, like the subject of this 
sketch, incorporate into his character and life the sub- 
stance of goodness. 

We may well hope that the brief but instructive 
sketches of the citizens whom Lynn has delighted to 
honor will not only occupy a conspicuous page in the 
Centennial History, but contribute much good and per- 
manent influence, by inspiring a just ambition, and in 
promoting a true manhood in the citizens, and especially 
in those who may succeed to the same distinction in 
office. 

Of this happy result, the best hope may be indulged 
in regard to the character of the honored citizen here 
delineated. 




(U7-7'i^cC^t--C^t>f^^ ^~/3'^^ Cof I 



MAYORS OF LYNN. 159 



ANDREWS BREED. 

Mr. Breed was the fifth Mayor of Lynn, filling the 
office (luring the year 1855. He was born here Septem- 
ber 20, 1794, and is still living, a hale old gentleman. 
When he was five years old, his father removed with 
his family to Salem, where he took charge of a public 
house, continuing there till 1811, when he returned 
hither, and two years later, that is, in 1813, became 
landlord of Lynn Hotel, which was built in 1803, at the 
time the Turnpike was completed. It was a fomous 
House for many years, and did a successful business till 
the opening of the Eastern Railroad, in 1838, when 
travel was diverted and its fortunes began to wane. 

Mayor Breed attended the district school till the age 
of fourteen, at which time boys of that period were 
usually put to such employment as was expected to bo 
their life estate. He, however, remained at home till 
181G, assisting his father. 

At the early age of eighteen years he held a commis- 
sion as Adjutant of the Fourth Regiment, under Col. 
Samuel Brimblccom ; and one incident in his military 
career may be noticed. Late one evening, during the 
war of 1812, there was an alarm given to the effect that 
the British troops had arrived in Salem harbor, and an 
order received that the regiment must be formed and 
march, forthwith, to that town. Cannon belched forth 
the warlike summons, "and then," continucMl Mr. Breed, 
in relating the occurrence, " I immediately mount (m1 my 
horse, and in sixty minutes the regiment was formed on 



160 MAYORS OP LYNN. 

the Common and under marching orders, Consider Orcutt 
being Major. Wc marched through Franklin street, met 
Col. Brimblecom on the Turnpike, and proceeded on- 
ward ; but when we reached the top of Farrington's 
hill two videttes appeared, to notify us that the alarm 
was Mse. We then returned to the Common and dis- 
missed the regiment. Matthew Cox, of Lynnfield, was 
Lieut. Colonel ; but, the alarm not reaching his district, 
neither he nor the Lynnfield company joined in the 
march." By other accounts we learn that this was a 
very stirring incident. When the march commenced, 
women followed their husbands and boys their fathers, all 
in great fear and excitement. And when the counter- 
march commenced, and the tide of feeling shifted, these 
followers turned their faces homeward with the most 
rampant expressions of joy. 

During the year 1816, Mr. Breed went to Charles- 
town, entering the employment of the widely known 
firm of Skinner and Ilurd, dealers in West India goods, 
as clerk and book-keeper. In that capacity he remained 
for seven years, much of the time working sixteen hours 
a day, and then became a member of the firm, con- 
tinuing a partner for six years. 

In 1829 he returned to Lynn and built the house on 
Boston street, between Marion and Mall, the land ex- 
tending back to the Turnpike. In April of that year he 
formed a partnership with his brothers, Henry A. and 
Daniel N,, in the West India goods business, which con- 
tinued till the first of January, 1836. But his business 
relations were not confined to one particular branch, for 
during this period he conducted the Lynn Hotel, and 
owned it for many years afterward. 

Of the Lynn Whaling Company,- formed in 1832, he 



ANDllEAYS BllKED. IGl 

Wiis one of the largest owners as well as general agent ; 
and with Fruncis S. Newhall and Isaiah Breed formed tlie 
hiiar.l (»r trustees. The company was dissolved in 1848, 
<iu the sale of thrir last shi[), the Commodore Preble. 

Mr. Breed was an active member of the old Whig 
party, serving as chief marshal at the grand mass meet- 
ing held in 1844, when 12,000 persons were estimatetl 
to be present, it being the largest gathering which had 
ever been held in Essex County. 

For thirty-four years Mr. Breed was Secretary and 
Treasurer of the Lynn ]Mutual Fire Insurance Company ; 
and for ten years President of the Lynn Institution for 
Savings. He was also President of the Union Insurance 
Company, and the first Secretary of the Sagamore Mu- 
tual Fire Insurance Company, formed in 1852. 

lie served as Chief Engineer of the Fire Department 
for seven years, and was chosen to serve on the first 
board of City Assessors. 

Indeed, for many years after his return to Lynn, in 
1829, he was not only actively engaged in his own per- 
sonal alfairs, but more or less concerned in almost every 
promising measure of public improvement. lie laid out 
that part of Summer street which extends from the mills, 
formerly knowMi as Chase's, to Boston street, much 
of it beinff throuirh his own land. He also, in connec- 
tion with his brother Henry, laid out Commercial street. 
Many of the trees which now adorn our Common were 
procureil iVom the woods and set (»ut willi his own hands. 

On the com],)letion of the railroad now known as the 
Saugus Branch, which was opened as an independent line 
in ]8-33, he was ap[)ointeil S;iperintendeut, and ludd the 
office till that road was purchased liy llic Eastern. l*rol>- 
ably llicro is no one now living whose active business lifo 



162 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

covers sucli a long period of our history, as town and 
city, or whose leading pursuits were more varied. And 
the facts already stated are quite sufficient to prove that 
he did his part in promoting the prosperity and growth 
of his native place. 

He has more than once been seriously affected, pecu- 
niarily, by the seasons of business prostration which have 
periodically occurred during our whole history, but his 
elasticity of spirit and perseverance have sustained him 
under circumstances where most others would have 
yielded to discouragement. His memory of occurrences 
hereabout, in times when our present business men were 
infants, is retentive, and his terse narrations are more 
than ordinarily interesting. In 1855 he built the house 
on North Common street on the site for more than a cen- 
tury occupied by the venerable Parson Henchman house, 
and there resided till within a few years, when he removed 
to Lancaster, in Worcester county, where he now lives. 

Mr. Breed, although not a member of any church, has, 
during his whole life, been a constant adherent of the old 
Orthodox faith, and during his residence here was an at- 
tendant on the ministrations at the First Church. That 
parish has probably never had a truer friend, he having 
done much to sustain it by pecuniary aid during some of 
its most trying periods. For forty years he was its 
Treasurer, and for over twenty-five years Librarian of 
the Sunday school. 

While in Charlestown, on the 29th of August, 1822, 
Mr. Breed was united in marriage with Miss Susan Davis, 
of Westford, Mass., and by her had six children, 
namely : Edward A., *Susan D., *Charles XL, *Susan 
D., again, Frank P., and Anna L. Those designated by 
a star are not now living. 







^^rr^m 







MAYORS OF LYNN. 1G3 



EZRA WARREN MUDGE. 

Mr. Miulge, the sixth ]Mayor, was boni in Lynn, on 
the fifth of December, 1811, and was a son of Hon. Ezra 
Mudge, by his second wife, Ruth Chadwell. The house 
in whieli he was born stood on the easterly side of Mar- 
ket street, near the corner of Oxford. 

His father was higlily respected, and long entrusted by 
his fellow-townsmen with the management of important 
public interests. For sixteen ycar.5 he represented the 
town in the Legislature, first taking his seat in 18;)7 ; 
was a member of the Constitutional Convention in 182;), 
and of the Executive Council in 1828. lie was a sup- 
porter of the administration of President Jackson, and 
during the General's first term received an appointment 
in the Boston Custom House. Removing to the city, 
soon after, ho continued to reside there till the time of 
his death, in 1855, at the age of seventy-five. 

The education of the subject of this sketch began in 
the little school house at the west end of the Common, 
first under good old Master Blanchard and then und(>r 
Master Willard. In 1825 and '2G he attended Lynn 
Academy, then in charge of Ripley P. Adams. From 
the Academy he went to?i book-binding estkibli.shuKMit in 
Fall River, where he remained a year, witli a view to 
learn the trade. But this he g.ive over, and in 1828 
went into the dry goods store nf Chase and Uusc, iu the 
western part of the town, tlial l)eing the section iu \\\\\r\\ 
the principal retail Inisiness was then carried <tii. The 



1G4 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

store had a large trade, for tlie day of railroads had 
hardly dawned, and it was too expensive, in time and 
money, for the people to go ahroad for ordinary pnr- 
chases. In this store, first as clerk and salesman, and 
then as partner, Mr. Mudge remained till 1849. At 
that time the Laighton Bank — which in 1SG5 became 
the Central National — w^as established, and he was 
elected Cashier ; and that responsible position he has 
filled to the present time ; a fact in itself complete 
evidence of his capacity and integrity, and of the confi- 
dence reposed in him. 

Before the formation of the city goveniment, the ser- 
vices of Mr. Mndge were claimed in various offices of 
trust and responsibility. He was a Selectman, a member 
of the School Committee and Town Treasurer, for a num- 
ber of years. For the first six years after our incorpora- 
tion as a city he held the office of Treasurer. With the 
Public Library he has been connected ever since its found- 
ation, and is noAV President of the Board of Trustees. 

He was inaugurated as Mayor in 1856, and held the 
office two years ; his administration being marked 
throughout by care and a sense of responsibility in every 
department, most worthy of imitation. He never sanc- 
tioned the niggardly policy that " tends to poverty," nor 
the extravagance that runs riot in the name of liberality. 
His whole record here, indeed the record of his whole 
public life, has been such that all of us, his fellow- 
natives, may in it feel unfeign^l satisfaction. 

Mr. Mudge 's habits of study and taste for literature, 
early formed, have led to the accumulation of a library 
numbering from 2,000 to 3,000 volumes ; and among 
these silent companions and instructors, when released 
from business cares, he spends hours of real enjoyment. 



EZRA W. MUDGE. I(i5 

lie has long been especially interested in historieal 
studies, and his library shelves are well supplied with 
volumes in that interesting department — many of tliem 
rare and costly. And all who arc engaged in investiga- 
tions among the lore of the past find him a ready and 
eflficient helper, his own researches and retentive memory 
often enabling him to supply at once what would other- 
wise require wearying pursuit. 

Mr. Mudge was an earnest supporter of the Union in 
the late civil war, and his son William R. enlisted in its 
service in 18C2. A severe and somewhat remarkable 
fortune attended this son, as a soldier. At the battle of 
Chancellorville, May 3, 18G3, he was in the most raging 
part of the fight, and received a desperate wound, a 
bullet passing entirely through his head, from left to 
right, and cutting away and forever destroying all the 
nerves of sight. He was left for dead on the field, and 
there remained sixty hours, during twenty-four of 
which he continued unconscious. He was revived by a 
copious rain, and with a hundred and fifty wounded 
comrades was removed from the field on which he had 
fallen, and received the kindest attention from a detach- 
ment of North Carolina soldiers. He was brou2:ht home 
to Lynn, helpless, and totally blind, but finally, as if by 
a miracle, so far regained his general health as to be 
able to carry on a considerable business in the " shoe 
finding" way. lie shov.s wonderful energy, industry 
an 1 business tact, and is much esteemed as a citizen. 

In his religious views Mr. Mudge has long raidvcd as 
a Universalist ; and few among us have been more faith- 
ful li» ((iiivictiiins ; liis pecuniary contributions helping 
to sustaiu the worsliip, and his Christian example silently 
rtMjoniUM'inrniir the faith. 



166 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

On the 23d of January, 1837, he was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Eliza Robinson Bray, of Salem, and the 
union has remained unsevered. Nine children have 
been born to them, whose names follow, those not now 
living being designated by a star : *Ezra Warren, Wil- 
liam Ropes, *Mary Chadwell, *Hervey Mackey, *IIoward 
Murray, Florence Howard, Arthur Bartlett, Benjamin 
Gushing, Kate Gertrude. 



"^-4t 




^f^f- 



r.'-r^ 



? > I- 



MAYORS OF LYNN. 



167 



WILLIAM FREDERIC JOHNSON. 

Mr. Johnson, the seventh Mayor, was born at Na- 
hant, which was then a part of Lynn, on the 30th of 
July, 1819. He was a son of Caleb and Olive (Hart- 
well) Johnson ; and the antiquated mansion in which he 
drew his first breath is still standing, and known as the 
" Caleb Johnson house." It is the oldest on Nahant, 
and the same in which his father was born, in 1778, and 
lived until his death at about the age of ninety. 

With the exception of about one year of private in- 
struction iiis education was received at the public school 
of Nahant. Among his teachers were the late Amos 
Rhodes, of Lynn, so well known and so highly respected 
for his unobtrusive virtues, and Elijah II. Downing, like- 
wise well known and much esteemed, and who afterward 
became a Methodist minister, but later a minister of the 
Episcopal church. 

Early in life Mr. Johnson was employed partly at the 
triule of shocmaking and partly at farming. In 1847 
he travelled in Europe with the late Edward Bromiield 
Phillips, remaiuiug there about a year. Soon after his 
return he opened a grocery and provision store in Mar- 
ket Sijuare, at the west end of Lynn Hotel. From that 
period he was fi-e(iuently called to take part in public 
ailairs. lu 1852 and '53 he was an Assessor, in 1855 a 
iiiciiibcr <»r the IJoanl of Aldermen, and iu 185G a Rep- 
resentative in the (Jeneral Court. 



168 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

It was in 1858 that he was elected to fill the Mayor's 
chair ; a year especially deiiiaiiiling the exercise of pru- 
dence and vigilance ; for it was a time during which 
p'erhaps the most remarkable agitations in the financial 
world that have occurred for half a century, took place. 
And that he had a lively sense of the posture of affairs, 
and of the grave demands on one in his position, is ap- 
parent from the opening part of his Inaugural Address. 
He remarks: " We enter upon our duties in what may 
be considered peculiar times. Our city, the country, 
and, I might add, the entire world, have never endured 
so severe a financial depression as that through which we 
are now passing ; our people have been severely em- 
barrassed, while our manufacturers have struggled vio- 
lently to sustain themselves against financial destruction. 
In the midst of such a commercial crisis, when the en- 
tire people are disposed to economize, it is our duty to 
look particularly at the finances of our city, and make 
an earnest effort to diminish our expenses." And in ac- 
cordance with the policy here shadowed forth, we find 
Mr. Johnson, during his administration, endeavoring to 
retrench and save wherever it could be done without ab- 
solutely jeopardizing any material interest. 

He became interested in temperance work in early life, 
and in 1840 was heartily engaged in the Washingtonian 
movement ; was one of the vice presidents of the first 
Washingtonian Society in Lynn, and for several years 
president of the Lynn Total Abstinence Society, and secre- 
tary of the Essex County Temperance Societ3^ While 
Mayor he did his utmost to prevent the escape of liquor 
sellers from the penalties of the law, and several of the 
" respectable dealers " had occasion to know that social 
position was with him of no account in view of duty. 



WILLIAM F. JOHNSON. 109 

He was also strict in his requiremonts regarding public 
amusements, being ever watchful against anything of 
immoral tendency, or that might con(hicc to the disturb- 
ance of good order. As a matter of course, such an one 
would not always remain popular with a certain class ; 
yet he has retained the good will of the people in gen- 
oral, to a wonderful extent, and the confidence of all, in 
his integrity and ability. 

In 18G0 and 'Gl Mr. Johnson was again called to serve 
as Assessor. In 1802 and 'G3 he was a State Senator. 
In 1874 he was again a member of the Board of Alder- 
men. But perhaps the most responsible ofiTice, in some 
respects, he ever held, was that of State Paymaster at 
Washington, to which he was appointed in 18G4, by 
Governor Andrew, the arduous and sometimes perplexing 
duties of which he performed to the satisfaction of all 
interested. 

It will be seen by the foregoing that Mr. Johnson has 
been a good deal in public life, that few among us have 
been elevated to so many important offices ; and these 
calls for his services well attest the general satisfaction 
in his ability and fidelity. Faithfulness and care have 
characterized his official conduct throughout ; and he has 
never been charged with giving way to speculative 
promptings or experimenting with airy suggestions. It 
would be agreeable, did space allow, to refer somewhat, 
at large to his connection with some of our charitable 
organizations — for instance, to his efficient labors in the 
establishment of the " Home for Aged Women," and to 
his effijrts in maintaining and rendering most widely 
useful the "City Mission," of which asiociation he is 
now }. resident — but we must forbear. 

A number of years since he became attached to the 



170 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

Episcopal church, and has ever remained an active and 
liberal supporter of the same ; has been one of the chief 
officers of St. Stephen's parish, and there, as elsewhere, 
has been always ready to do his part in helping forward 
every good work. 

In 1865 he was chosen Secretary of the Lynn Mutual 
Fire Insurance Company, an old institution of high 
standing and much usefulness ; and that office he still 
holds, by annual election, showing that his usefulness 
in that position, also, is appreciated. 

In May, 1842, he was united in marriage with Miss 
Abby Stone, granddaughter of the late Rev. Eliab Stone, 
of Reading. She lived but four years, and in June, 1850, 
he was married to Miss Lurancy H. Dexter, daughter of 
Dr. Theodore Dexter, of Boston ; and by this marriage 
has had five children, but two of whom, Theodore Dexter 
and Charlotte Gertrude, are now living. 




-.cmmM-^ 




MAYORS OF LYNN. 171 



EDWARD SWAIN DAVIS. 

Mr. Davis was bom in Lynn on the 22d of June, 1808. 
His parents were Hugh and Elizabeth (Bachelor) Davis, 
the latter being a descendant from Rev. Stephen Bach- 
elor, first minister of the Lynn church, settled in 1G32. 

The subject of this sketch received his education partly 
in the public schools of Lynn, and partly in the Academy ; 
which latter he left in 182G. He was ^oon after ap- 
pointed clerk of Lynn Mechanics Bank, and in that po- 
sition remained till he became of age. His health licing 
now such that a change of residence seemed desirable, 
he removed to Philadelphia and commenced business as 
a commission merchant. There he remained till 18o3, 
when Nahant Bank was established ; and being offered 
a position in that institution, accepted, and returned to 
his native place. In the bank and in the Union Insur- 
ance company he continued till 1837, and then resigned. 

Soon after leaving the bank he began business as a 
shoe manufacturer, but relin(|uished that and returned to 
the institution on being appointed cashier, and remain(*d 
till its ail'airs we're finally closed up. He then spent 
several years of enforced idleness on account of ill licalili, 
though occupying a part ol" the time as a book-ke<'|tcr. 
Subsccpiently he was appointed to a place in the 1 nilfd 
States Bonded Warehouse, in Boston. In L'^Ol he eu- 
tere(l as a clerk in the State Auditor's ollice ; and from 
that time to tlie pre-ent lias remained in the same de- 
partment, tilling the ullices of first and second clerk. 



172 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

Mr. Davis was, in early manhood, something of a mil- 
itary man ; was in 1835 elected Major of the Regi- 
ment of Light Infantry attached to the First Brigade of 
Essex county, and remained in commission as Major and 
Lieutenant Colonel, most of the time in command, 
till 1843. 

He was one of the early adherents of the anti-slavery 
cause, and never deserted it. The " Lynn Colored 
People's Friend Society" was organized in 1832, having 
"for its objects the abolition of slavery in the United 
States, the improvement of the character and condition 
of the Free Blacks, and the acquisition to the Indians 
and blacks the enjoyment of their natural rights in an 
equal participation of civil privileges with white men." 
In 1835 this society numbered 185 members, and we 
find Mr. Davis named as corresponding secretary. 

In other moral and reformatory labors we also find him 
conspicuous. The " Lynn Young Men's Temperance 
Society" was organized in 1833, having, two years af- 
terward, a membership of 350, at which time he was its 
president. 

In 1838, being an active member of the old Whig 
party, Mr. Davis was elected a Representative to the 
General Court. And soon after the formation of our city 
government was elected to the Council. In 1852, '53, 
'56 and '57 ho was President of the Common Council. 
It was in 1859 and 1860 that he was called to fill the 
Mayor's chair ; and down to the last date had been six 
years ex-qfficio member of the School Committee. 

In 1834 he was commissioned as a Notary Public, and 
in 1837 as a Justice of the Peace, which last office he 
still holds. 

In his religious views Mr. Davis has, from his youth. 



EDWARD S. DAVIS. 173 

been a consistent Episcopalian ; and that clmrch is in- 
debted to him, probably, more than to any other, for its 
establishment in tliis place. From the organization, in 
1834, nntil the present time, he has contimied to mani- 
fest his devotion to her by labor and by pecuniary con- 
tribution, and in the parish of St. Stephen's still continues 
iu an important official position. 

During his administration as Mayor several projects of 
public interest were accomplished. The city debt was 
funded ; the first street railroad located ; the more sys- 
tematic grading of the public schools commenced ; and 
the substitution of brick school houses for those of wood 
decided on — two of the former material being erected 
wdiile he was in office. But perhaps the most notable, 
at least the most stirring event, was the great Shoe- 
makers' Strike, which commenced in February, 18G0. 
No occurrence of the kind in this part of the country, 
probably, ever before created such a sensation. The 
whole country seemed to have their eyes momentarily 
turned on Lynn, and through the daily journals and illus- 
trated weeklies her travail was magnified to an extent 
far beyond what was dreamed of in her own borders. 
Nevertheless, it was a serious affair, and required the ex- 
ercise of prudence and coolness in its management. The 
city was in a ferment for some seven weeks ; processions 
were frequently moving along the streets ; large meet- 
ings were held ; and the drum could be heard at almost 
any hour. After all, however, there was little actual 
violence committed. The object of the strikers was the 
same that is common in all such movements, namely, the 
obtaining of more adequate remuneration for labor ; 
and perhaps, on the v^hole, the occurrence was not inju- 
rious to the general interests of the place. During this 



174 MAYORS OF LYNi\. 

disturbance Mayor Davis, by his prudence, foresight and 
forbearance, often exercised against the strong urgency of 
those in favor of more forcible measures, probably saved 
the city from the odium of violence, and himself and 
friends from lasting regrets. 

The habits of Mr. Davis are somewhat retiring, and 
he may be said to lead the life of a thinker quite as 
much as that of an actor. Having a taste for literature, 
he has collected, doubtless, the largest and most valuable 
private library in the city ; and among his books he 
spends many pleasant and studious hours. He has also 
collected a variety of interesting objects of fine art. 
Agreeable manners, intelligence, and freedom from low 
prejudices mark his daily walk ; and few can spend 
many hours in his society and not feel improved. 

In 1836 he married Elvira, daughter of Capt. Na- 
thaniel and Martha (Chadwell) Newhall, both belonging 
to old Lynn families, but has no children. 










^^. 



-^ -^ 



^. /^- 



MAYORS OF LYNN. 



175 



HIRAM NICHOLS BREED. 

Mr. Breed was born in Lynn, Sept. 2, 1800, and was 
a son of Asa Breed, born Feb. 21, 1783, a direct de- 
scendant from Allen Breed, wbo settled in Lynn in 1G30. 
Tbc Breed family, during our whole history, has main- 
tained the highest rank, numerically, with the exception 
of the Newhall, which considerably outnumbers any other. 
The subject of this sketch, after receiving a district 
school education, was put to the common employment of 
the youth of that period in this place, namely, the trade 
of shoemaking. And that occupation he has jjursued for 
the greater portion of his life. The old-fashioned shoe- 
maker's shop was an unrivalled school in its way — a 
school in which the free discussions on every topic of 
pul)lic or private interest had a tendency to make men 
intelligent in every way except, perhaps, in mere book- 
learning. The discussions often led to reflection and in- 
vestigation, and whoever possessed ability was pretty 
sure to have it recognized. 

Mr. Breed was, at a comparatively early age, called 
to take a part in the management of public affairs ; and 
for many years has held responsible of&ces. He was in 
various positions in the oM town government, and held 
the odice of Selectman when it expired. On the adoption 
of the city form he was one of the first Board of Alder- 
men, being likewise returned for the same position the 
next year, lie was a member of the Legislature in 



176 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

1848 and 1850 ; and a member of the Constitutional 
Convention in 1853. By Governor Boutwell he was ap- 
pointed a Coroner, which office he continues to fill ; was 
City Assessor in 1858 and '59, and Surveyor of High- 
ways from 18C9 to 1874, inclusive, with the exception 
of 1871. And while speaking of him as filling the im- 
portant office of Surveyor of Highways, it should be re- 
marked that he seems always to have taken a lively 
interest in the condition of the streets. Many years ago 
his services began to be appreciated in that department ; 
and some of his suggestions then, and at later periods, 
have been highly approved. We have extensive avenues 
besides those devoted to business, to be looked after. 
And while nature has furnished so much that is grand 
and delightful in scenery, it would be a pity to have the 
roads so neglected that our own citizens, and the many 
strangers who gather here in the watering season, could 
not enjoy their recreative excursions. Under Mr. Breed's 
administration the public ways have not been neglected ; 
but in saying this there is no disposition to intimate that 
they have under any other ; and we must congratulate 
ourselves on the common reputation that the drives about 
Lynn are surpassed by hardly any in this part of the 
country, both as regards their natural location and 
condition. 

Mr. Breed was elected Mayor for 1861, a year espe- 
cially filled with unusual demands, anxieties and perplex- 
ities, for it was the opening year of the great Rebellion. 
New duties and responsibilities were then pressing, and 
untried measures were to be adopted. It required firm- 
ness to withstand unreasonable demands, and judgment 
to meet all proper claims. The success of his admin- 
istration under these circumstances entitles him to much 



HIRAM N. BREED. 177 

credit. It was a diflicult task to shape and put in 
operation the measures that resulted so favorably to the 
soldiers and their families, while at the same lime other 
public interests were vigilantly guarded. Something of 
the modest spirit with which he entered upon his 
duties as Mayor may be gathered from the opening pas- 
sage of his Inaugural Address : " Called from a laborious 
but honorable occupation to fill the position of Mayor of 
this city, and well acquainted with my many deficiences 
for this important trust, I feel confident that, seeking to 
know my duty, I shall be able by assiduity and industry 
to discharge the duties with a measure of satisfaction to 
myself and my constituents." Perhaps his habit of 
careful investigation, before proceeding to action, in 
matters of real importance, is one of his most prominent 
characteristics — never too hasty, and never liable to be 
driven on by the unadvised urgency of those who always 
stand ready to press others while no responsibility rests 
on themselves. 

Mr. Breed belongs to one of the old families of the 
eastern section of the town, and has lived to see great 
improvements in the vicinity of his birth place. Ocean 
street, which is now justly reckoned one of the finest 
avenues in the county, if not in the State, he has seen 
opened through lands, not indeed barren, but occupied 
only for purposes of husbandry. He also had much to 
do with the laying out of Breed, Foster and Nichols 
streets, now filled with a thrifty population. And to his 
energy and enterprise that whole section is indebted for 
many of those improvements which have changed it from 
its lormcr quaint and rather ancient aspect to one pleasant 
and attractive. 

Mr. Breed, though C(>nsider;il)ly in years, as the dates 
23 



178 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

in this sketch show, is still remarkably vigorous, both 
mentally and physically, the result, no doubt, of a tem- 
perate and prudent course of life, with the basis of a 
naturally good constitution. On the 4th of July, 1830, 
he married Nancy, a daughter of Caleb Stone, and by 
her had ten children, namely, Henry N., Asa N., Edwin 
E., Betsey A., Martha E., Laura J., Abbie M., Julia 
F., Nathan D. C, and Clara L. 



MAYORS OF LYNN. 179 



PETER MORRELL NEAL. 

Mr. Neal, the tenth Mayor of Lynn, was born at 
Doughty's Falls, a small village in North Berwick, Me., 
Sept. 21, 1811. His parents, Elijah and Comfort (Mor- 
rell) Neal, were worthy members of the religious Society 
of Friends, who instilled into the minds of their children 
the principles of sobriety and temperance, and an abiding 
faith in the doctrines of Christianity unmixed with sec- 
tarian prejudices. Mr. Neal has continued his connec- 
tion with that society, whose cardinal principles he 
believes in, and whose mode of worship he admires. 

Botli the Neal and Morrell families were among the 
first settlers in the southwest section of Maine, then a 
part of Massachusetts, which was known as the District 
of Maine till 1820, when it was admitted into the Union 
as an independent State. The Morrell family was a 
large and influential part of the community in those early 
days, and from it have sprung many men of distinction, 
some of whom have filled the highest places of trust in 
the gift of the people of the State of Maine. 

Sixty years ago the district schools in the country were 
not of a high grade, but such as they Avere Mr. Neal in 
his youth attended till he was fifteen years of age, when 
he went to Providence, R. I., and became a pupil of the 
Friends' Boarding School, where he remained most of 
the time till he was twenty-one years of age ; teaching 
school, however, in tlie country during the winters, and 
pursuing his studies at the institution dining the remain- 



180 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

der of the time, with the exception of one season, when 
he attended the Academy at South Berwick. 

In 1832 he went to PortLmd, Me., and continued his 
studies, principally in the languages, under a private 
tutor, preparing himself to enter college ; but the next 
year, there being what he and his friends considered a 
good opening, he abandoned his college prospects, and 
commenced a school there, and was quite successful. He 
can now enumerate among his former pupils some of the 
best professional and business men in that section of 
the State. 

In 183G he married Lydia, daughter of Edward Cobb, 
of Portland. They have four children, Edward C, Mary 
Louisa, Ellen M., and William E. 

In 1842 the inhabitants of his native village concluded 
to establish a High School there, and invited Mr. Neal to 
become its Principal. He accepted the position, returned 
to North Berwick, and taught school till 1850. From 
too close application to his duties his health failed him, 
and he made up his mind that he must quit teaching and 
engage in some business that required more active and 
out of doors exercise. 

He came to Lynn, and formed a partnership with Philo 
Clifford, to do a general lumber business on Beach street. 
They dissolved in 1859. Mr. Neal continued the busi- 
ness alone till 18G3, when he formed another partnership 
with Nehemiah Lee, at the old stand, and did quite an 
extensive business till 1870, when he sold out his in- 
terest to Mr. Lee. In 1872 he again commenced the 
lumber business on his new wharf, called Yacht Club 
Wharf, on Beach street, opposite Tudor street. 

Very soon after he came to Lynn he was elected to 
the Common Council, and subsequently for a number of 



PETER M. NEAL. 



181 



years he was a member of the School Committee, and 
at one time Chairman of the Board. 

On the Gth of January, 18G2, he was inaugurated 
Mayor, and was re-elected to that office the three fol- 
lowing years. 

In those stirring times, during the War of the Rebel- 
lion, when loyal individuals were doing all they could to 
preserve the Union from disruption, the cares devolving 
upon the chief magistrates of our towns and cities were 
varied and constant. During the four years of his ad- 
ministration he generally worked from sixteen to eighteen 
hours daily, rarely leaving his office till one or two of 
the clock in the morning. He was indefatigable in his 
exertions in alleviating the sufferings of our soldiers and 
their f\imilies, and many times visited the army and hos- 
pitals, carrying relief to the sick and wounded, and good 
cheer to those who were doing their duty in camp. He 
has often been heard to say that, although attended with 
much sadness, he looks back upon the time spent among 
the wounded, sick and dying, with more satisfaction than 
upon any other period of his life, because he was en- 
abled to relieve much distress both of boily and mind — 
carrying as he did news from absent ones at home, and 
returning the last sad messages to wives, mothers and 
children, from the dying soldier. 

During these visits he sometimes, within the space of 
two or three weeks, visited no less than twenty thousand 
sick anil wounded soldiers, and bears testimony to their 
fidelity and patriotism, for there was very little murmur- 
ing at their lot. Even under the greatest physical suf- 
fering they were cheerful, and endured all with the 
greatest fortitude, evincing to the world that they at 
least believed they were in the line of duty. 



■^°2 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

Mr. Neal's labor for the soldier did not cease with the 
close of his official duties, but for many years he was 
almost daily consulted upon matters connected with the 
war, and obtained, for many soldiers and widows, pen- 
sions from the government, for which service he would 
never receive any compensation, although many times 
urged to do so. 

In politics Mr. Neal was originally a Whig, and cast 
his first vote in 1832, for Henry Clay. He afterwards 
joined the Free Soil party, and on the formation of the 
Republican party he was their first candidate for a seat 
in the Legislature of Massachusetts, but was defeated. 

He represented his district (consisting of Ward Four 
Lynn, and the town of Nahant), in the House of Repre- 
sentatives in 1870 and 1871, and was the Senator from 
the First Essex District in 1876. 




f\ 




^^^ 



MAYORS OF LYNN. 183 



ROLAND GREENE USHER. 

The Usiier family was founded in New England some 
time previous to 1G38 by two brothers, Hezekiah and 
Robert, from the latter of whom the subject of this 
sketch is directly descended. The family was prominent 
during the Colonial and early Provincial days, as is shown 
by the abundant evidence in the contemporaneous records. 
From the above date to the present its members have 
constantly resided in this vicinity, having become es- 
pecially identified with Boston, Medford, Cambridge, 
Charlestown and this city. 

Hezekiah, one of the original founders of the Old 
South Church, Boston, was the first bookseller and pub- 
lisher in English America, and indeed the only one in 
New England as late as 1GG4. lie was Representative 
and one of the Selectmen of Boston for several years, 
was possessed of considerable wealth, and was a man of 
great activity and influence. Robert became associated 
with the New Haven settlement, and held various oflices 
there, but on his death, in IGGO, his family rejoined their 
relatives in this vicinity, in accordance with a desire ex- 
pressed in his will. John, son of Hezekiah, continued 
his father's business, receiving in 1GT2, by special act 
of the General Court, the first copyright ever granted and 
secured l)y law in this country. He was Colonel of the 
Boston Regiment, at one time Treasurer and Receiver 
General for New England, and later was Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor and Commandor-in-CiruT of New Hampshire for 



184 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

quite a long period. He was also one of the councillors 
of President Dudley, and later held the same relation 
towards Sir Edmund Andros. He was employed by Mas- 
sachusetts to negotiate the purchase of the Province of 
Maine from the heirs of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, which he 
eifected in 1G77 — " an absolute, perfect and independ- 
ent estate of and in the said county Palatine," being 
conveyed to. said Usher. Robert, above mentioned, had 
a son Robert, who had a son John, who had a son Rob- 
ert, who had a son Eleazer. 

Roland Greene, the eleventh Mayor of Lynn, son of 
said Eleazer and Fanny (Bucknam) Usher, was born at 
Medford, Jan. 6, 1823. At an early age he, with some 
other members of the family, came to this city, where 
they have since resided. 

After learning the morocco dresser's trade, he chiefly 
engaged, till the breaking out of the war, in mercantile 
pursuits, having, however, been for several years a mem- 
ber of the Common Council and Board of Aldermen ; he 
had also represented this city in the Massachusetts House 
of Representatives. In the year 1840 he joined the Lynn 
Light Infantry, was afterwards elected its First Lieuten- 
ant, and on the formation of the now historic " Eighth " 
Regiment became its Lieutenant Colonel. He was on the 
staff of the Eighth as regimental Paymaster when it left 
for Washington, on the 17th of April, 1861. 

In the following July he was commissioned by President 
Lincoln as Paymaster in the regular army force, in which 
capacity he served till the close of the war, his principal 
appointments being as Paymaster-in-Chief of the famous 
Department of the Gulf, also of the Department of An- 
napolis, and later of the Department of Virginia and 
North Carolina ; having at these times the supervision 
and direction of from twenty to thirty paymasters. 



ROLAND G. UyilKR. 185 

The responsibilities, the arduous and trying duties, the 
anxieties and dangers of a disbursing oflicer, amid the 
excitement and confusion of tlie camp, the difficulty at- 
tendant on safely transporting at such times the very 
large sums of money needed, give a peculiar significance 
to the following letter, indicative of his record with the 
War Department : 

Paymaster General's Office, War Department, i 
Washington, February 14, 1871. ) 

Maj. Gex. B. F. Butler: — Mij Dear Sir: — In reply to your 
request for a letter from this office, indicating the official record of 
Col. It. G. Usher during the time ho served as an officer of this 
department, it afibrds mo pleasure to respond, because from an in- 
timate personal knowledg-e in his case I am able to bear emphatic 
testimony to the value and excellence of his services. 

Col. Usher was appointed a Paymaster at the beginning of the 
war, in 1861. lie served through the entire war, and retired to 
civil life on his own application for discharge. 

That he was an active and faithful officer is well attested by the 
records of the department. But that he was more, an energetic, 
intelligent and reliable officer in positions of unusual responsi- 
bility, I can, of my personal knowledge, certify. 

During his term of service, ho disbursed upwards of thirty-one 
and a half millions of the public money, promptly, faithfully, and 
satisfactorily accounting for every dollar entrusted to his charge. 

His conduct and bearing won the confidence and esteem of this 
office, and caused me to regret that his own interests and inclina- 
tions Avere averse to a permanent continuance in this department. 

Very respectfully, 

B. W. BPvICE. Paymaster General. 

Upon the re-organization of the State militia, in ISOO, 
he was appointed Aide-de-Camp on the staff of Major 
General !>. F. J»iitlcr, coimnaiidiiig, and hidd tliat po- 
sition during the ten years f,)llowiiig. 

For three years, beginning January, 1800, he was 

24 



186 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

Mayor of this city. During this time the police force was 
re-organized, a complete system of sewerage commenced, 
and the fine City Hall, with the exception' of the base- 
ment, put under contract, erected and dedicated. 

Such a building for municipal purposes had been so 
long needed that the occasion of its dedication w^as a 
genuine gala day for Lynn, hardly equalled by any sim- 
ilar event since that of the " Old Tunnel." Its erection 
indicated a fresh and viirorous impulse which affairs in 
Lynn had felt in consequence of the very large business 
developed by the necessities of the war, and the rapid 
growth of the country. 

Colonel Usher assumed the duties of the mayoralty at 
this time wdien, the war having ended, the city, which 
had meanwhile grown largely in wealth and population, 
seemed to have aroused itself to new life and vigor. 

He was elected a member of the Executive Council of 
the Commonwealth for three successive years, under Gov- 
ernors Bullock and Claflin, serving on the Hoosac Tunnel 
Committee and signing the memorable contract for its 
completion. 

lie was appointed March 3, 1871, by President Grant, 
United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts, 
and at the expiration of his term, in 1875, was re-ap- 
pointed, receiving the compliment of the recommenda- 
tion, by letter, of Justice Clifford, of the U. S. Supreme 
Court, Judge Shepley, of the U. S. Circuit Court, and 
Judge Lowell, of the U. S. District Court. This po- 
sition he at present occupies. 

lie married, June 5, 1844, Caroline-M., daughter of 
Daniel-Lee and Mary (Barry) Mudge. Their children 
were, Caroline-Anna, Abbott-Lester, Edward-Preston, 
and Caroline-Mudge. 





■^^■^'Zyt.t^CJ 




C/// 



^U^f/t'tynx^ 



MAYORS OF LYNN. 187 



JAMES NEEDHAM BUFFUM. 

Mr. Buffum, the twelfth Mayor of Lynn, was born in 
North Berwick, Me., on the IGth day of May, 1807. 
His parents were prominent members of the Society of 
Friends, held in high esteem for untiring devotion to the 
best interests of that society, and a faithful discharge of 
the duties of life. His father was widely known and 
beloved as the "peace maker," from his success in 
settling the quarrels and disputes of the neighborhood. 
Energy and courage distinguished his mother, whose un- 
flao-o-ino- hone and serene faith sustained her husband in 
the dark hours of life. 

Mayor Buffum's opportunities for education in early 
life were meager. Three winter months, under a poorly 
trained teacher, was all the^town could give its children. 
At sixteen years of age, with little learning and less 
money, he left home to seek his fortune. Beginning at 
Salem, Mass., to learn his trade of a house-builder, he 
stayed there and at Lynn till 1827 ; then, eager for a 
better education, he went to the Friends' School, at Prov- 
idence, and remained there a year. The expense of this 
year Avas defrayed by the hard work and self-denial of 
three subsequent years spent in Salem, in the organ 
factory of Messrs. Hook. Thougli his g-.-nius for me- 
chanics soon made him skillful in that business, he re- 
solved to return to Lynn and resume his old work of 
buildiu"- houses. Faithful and thorough, lu' wa.^ for 
twenty years a leading carpenter of this rapidly growing 



188 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

town ; and by his sagacity and active interest in all 
public improvements did as much as any other citizen 
to build up and ornament Lynn. 

He was the first to use the first steam engine set up 
there, and to him is owing the introiluction of the 
' ' planing machine. ' ' Hardly anything has more facilitated 
the shoe trade of Lynn than this great invention. Bitterly 
opposed at first, Mr. Buffum has lived to see this great 
instrument of saving labor recognized as the best friend 
of the working man. 

The opening of new streets, the improvement of do- 
mestic architecture, the introduction of gas, had in Mr. 
Buffum one of their earliest and most efficient friends. 
One of his most remarkable and successful enterprises 
was taking the neglected and unsightly acres of Rocks 
Pasture, a mass of rock overlooking Lynn, and con- 
verting it into a garden, with land and ocean views un- 
surpassed by any spot on Massachusetts Bay ; now 
crowded with pleasant homes. Mr. Buffum may safely 
claim that he has never lived on the toil or genius of 
others ; but he has himself created wealth, enriching 
others and benefitting the city while pursuing his own 
career. 

But man owes a more sacred debt to his times than 
merely to improve the material condition of those about 
him. This duty Mr. Buffum has not neglected. 

Li 1831 a distant relative, Mr. Arnold Buffum, brought 
to his house William Lloyd Garrison. This was the be- 
ginning of a life-long friendship. Profoundly moved by 
Garrison's appeals, Mr. BufTtim devoted himself with 
characteristic energy to the anti- slavery and kindred 
movements. Thenceforward his house was the home of all 
social reformers ; the appeal for temperance, peace, anti- 



JAMES N. BDFFUM. 189 

slavery, woman's rights, for relief to labor, found shelter 
always under his roof. With means, voice and pen he 
gave to all his generous aid. Attending all the large 
conventions, he took an active and influential part, be- 
coming soon a fluent, al)le and attractive speaker, and 
CKcrting a wide influence. Y/hile New England was 
hunting-ground for the slaveholder, the fugitive was 
always safe under Mr. Buff'am's roof. 

On the IGth of August, 1845, he sailed with Frederic 
Douglass for Great Britain, spending a year there and in 
Ireland. Their addresses had a marked effect in stirring 
the sympathy of the Old World, and secured him many 
valuable friends. Mr. Buffum's position in the anti- 
slavery and other reforms necessarily made him bitterly 
unpopular. Not that personally he ever had an enemy. 
Indeed, no man has been a more general ftivoritc. But 
advanced views on grave questions inevitably bar one 
from political life ; and the Garrisonian party, to which 
Mr. BuiTuni belonged, distinctly renounced all part in 
the government. 

But after the war had changed this, and when many 
of what had been his advanced views were accepted by 
the community, he was welcomed to the political ranks, 
and did eflicient service there. In 18G8 he served as one 
of the Massachusetts Electors in the first election of Gen. 
Grant. In 18G9 he was chosen Mayor, and discharged 
the duties of the office with eminent success. In his In- 
augural Address ho recommended the introduction of 
water for the city, and had the satisfaction of seeing it 
done during his administration. He was again elected 
in 1871^, and may claim that the plans he advocated, 
however criticised or opposed at the time, have been 
finally crowned with general approbation. 



190 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

In the Legislature he represented Lynn in 1874. 
There his business tact, ability in debate, and skill in the 
management of business, were conspicuous. No man in 
the city better represents the self-sustaining energy and 
pluck, the inventive genius and resources which we asso- 
ciate with the Yankee race. Hardly another can bo found 
who, while seeing and fostering the business interest and 
material prosperity of Lynn, has been so true to the 
spirit of progress, so devoted a philanthropist, and so 
fair a specimen of the honorable manhood of Lynn. In- 
dependent in thinking for himself, far-sighted in seeing 
the nation's true honor and highest welfare, honest in his 
willingness to stand by his convictions and suffer with 
them and for them, he came late into political office. 
But his success has shown that a man may be humane 
and philanthropic without losing his skill in business or 
State affairs, and that the true man is not only the best 
example for the young, but the ablest servant of the 
State. 




Co tWunAV \M <AcV< 



vx-v 



MAYORS OF LYNN. 



191 



EDWIN WALDEN. 

Edavin Walden, the tlurtcenth flayer of the city, was 
bom in Lynn, Nov. 25, 1818. His ancestors were among 
the early settlers of New England. AVilliam and Rich- 
ard Walden, or Waldron (the spelling is not uniform), 
were settled in Dover, New Hampshire, in 1G35. Wil- 
liam left no children. Richard, from whom Mr. Walden 
traces his descent, is frequently mentioned in the 
annals of the settlement. He was a member of the 
House of Deputies for twenty-four years, and for eight 
years its Speaker. He was killed by the Indians, June 
27, 1G89, when he was more than eighty years of age. 

The ancestors upon the mother's side came to Massa- 
chusetts at an early date, and settled in Worcester county. 
Tlic farm upon which Mrs. W. was born is still owned by 
the family, having descended from father to son through 
six generations. 

The first resident of Lynn who bore the family name 
was Nathaniel Walden, the grandfather of the subject of 
this sketch. He was a native of that portion of Dan- 
vers now called West Peabody, and came to Lynn when 
a young man to learn the trade of a shoemaker. He 
married, in IT'JO, Hannah Ramsdell, of Lynn, and soon 
after settled in the neighborhood known as Breed's End. 
He liad six si»us and two daughters. 

Calt-b Walden, (lir oldest son of Nathaniel, was born 
May lo, ITl'l. He adopted his father's oreupation, and 
followed it with steady industry for more than sixty 



192 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

years. In 1817 he married Betsey Houghton, a daughter 
of Peter Houghton, of Harvard, Mass. They lived, after 
the modest fashion of those days, in their own house on 
Summer street, in West Lynn, and gave to their children 
as many advantages as lives devoted to daily toil could 
well secure. On the first day of the year, 1837, the 
mother died, leaving a son (Edwin) and two daughters. 
The father lived to a good old age, closing his busy and 
useful life April 20, 1869. 

Mr. Walden's opportunities for early mental training 
were quite limited. He had a good New England home, 
and such privileges as the district school in West Lynn 
could give to any lad who loved books and study. At the 
age of thirteen he began to work with his father, at his 
trade. His school days were over ; but he had acquired 
the rudiments of an education, and a decided taste for 
reading. His early associates remember him as one who 
was accustomed to read long and often to his shopmates, 
and to join heartily in the lively discussions that were sure 
to follow. By such means, aided by the lyceum and the 
debating-club, he attained a rare ficility in the use of ap- 
propriate language, that has found ample employment 
in recent years. 

In the spring of 1843 Mr. Walden removed to Ver- 
non, Connecticut, to commence, in a small way, the 
manufacture of shoes for his new employer. Returning 
to Lynn after a four years' absence, he was engaged for 
a short time in the purchase and sale of periodicals. In 
1850 he was again in the shoe business, and soon after 
entered the field as a manufixcturer ; a calling which he has 
prosecuted with reasonable success until the present time. 

Mr. Walden's public services began in connection with 
the old-time fire department, of which he was an active 



EDWIN WALDEN. 103 

member for fourteen years. He also held a commission 
as Lieutenant in the Lynn Artillery, the oldest of our 
chartered military organizations. Li 1853 he was a 
member of the Common Council. While serving in that 
body, he was chosen an Alderman, and also a Repre- 
sentative to the General Court for the session of 1854, 
during which he was a member of the committee that 
reported the original Iloosac Tunnel bill, lie was again 
a Representative in 1857 ; and was a Senator from the 
First Essex District in 18G0 and 18G1. In 1865 he was 
appointed by Gov. Andrew one of the Inspectors of the 
State Prison for a term of three years. 

The war for the suppression of the Rebellion devolved 
upon our municipal authorities new and grave responsi- 
bilities. In these Mr. Waldon had a full share. He was 
for three years an Alderman during the administration of 
Mayor Neal, and subsequently, for a like term, a mem- 
ber of the Common Council. His name is honorably 
associated with all the important measures of those busy 
years, especially with the legislation that gave to the city 
the Public Library, the City Hall, and the steam fire en- 
gine with the consequent re-organization of the fire de- 
partment. 

Mr. Walden entered upon his duties as Mayor Jan. 3, 
1870. His term of service comprised two years of great 
business activity. There were urgent demands f^^r exten- 
sive improvements in streets, for commodious school build- 
ings in the populous portions of tlie city, and fur a 
permanent water supply. To these as to all other mat- 
ters pertaining t;) his ofTi'-'ial trusts, Mr. Walden gave the 
closest study, bringing to tlie discharge of his duties ex- 
perience, tact, a habit of careful investigation, and famil- 
iarity with the forms and metliods of public business. His 

25 



194 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

administration was distinguished by harmony and unity of 
purpose in all departments of the government. 

During these years, in accordance with the recom- 
mendations of the Mayor, the fine buildings now occupied 
by the Cobbot and Ingalls schools were erected ; the fire- 
alarm telegraph was introduced and put in successful op- 
eration ; decisive action was taken in reference to the 
Soldiers' Monument ; careful surveys were made of the 
ponds and water-courses of Lynn and its vicinity ; ex- 
tensive water- works were constructed ; and water for man- 
ufacturing and domestic uses was first brought to the city. 

Since 1871 Mr. Walden has been constantly in public 
service as President of the Public Water Board, and for 
a portion of the time as a Representative in the General 
Court. In 1873 he was appointed by Gov. Washburn 
one of the Commissioners to superintend the erection of 
the State Asylum for the Insane for Eastern Massachusetts. 

For many years he has been favorably known as a 
speaker and writer. In official reports he has discussed 
questions of public policy in a manner that has given his 
writings a permanent value in relation to our municipal 
history. His speeches in deliberative bodies, though 
never long, have commanded the attention of his asso- 
ciates, and have exerted a favorable influence upon the 
course of public business. With voice and pen he has 
been the persistent advocate of progress. Recognizing 
all that was good in the past, he has been in earnest co- 
operation with the men who have done the most to make 
the new ways better than the old. 

Mr. Walden married, in 1850, Ann Maria, daughter 
of Henry Farmer, of Boston. Their oldest daughter, 
Helen Maria, died in infancy. Their surviving children 
are, Edwin jr., Annie Farmer, William, Charles Henry, 
and Charlotte Matilda. 





C (7Lr 



^^Cf , oZz^i 



0>7J 



MAYORS OF LYNN. 105 



JACOB MEEK LEWIS. 

Tnis gentleman stands as the fourteenth, in order of 
time, in our list of Mayors, and, with the exception of 
lion. P. M. Neal, is the only one retained in office 
through a continuous term of four years. Mr. Lewis's 
family is strictly native to Lynn ; his ancestor, Edmund 
Lewis, having been the first to settle, in 1G39, on the 
street afterwards named for him, and on the spot near 
which Mayor Lewis was himself born, Oct. 13, 1823, 
being the son of Robert and Hannah (Humphrey) Lewis. 
He was married, October 13, 1845, to Roxanna, daughter 
of Joshua and Sally Stone, but had no children. 

Mr. Lewis may be very well described as a man of the 
people. His whole history is one highly illustrative of 
the common fortune of our better classes, while it is so 
diversified as to identify him in experience and interests 
with a rather unusually large share of our leading indus- 
tries. His family not being one of fortune, he spent his 
earlier youth in the common school, and afterwards, for 
a short tiiuo, in the " Lynn Academy," alternating these 
opportunities with the occupation of the shoe bench, at 
that period the almost invariable heritage of the boy of 
Lynn. 

After his marriage ho passcil two years in business as 
a grocer, on Lewis street ; and tdi years Mil>-^c;[ii(Milly 
as a fisherman, hailing from the ncighljoring village of 
Swampscott. He finally, however, laid aside all these 



196 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

less remunerative callings, and, having formed a part- 
nership with Mr. Thomas Collyer, also of Lynn, estab- 
lished himself as a shoe manufacturer in 1858, on Union 
street, near the center of the city. The house of Lewis 
and Collyer is still active, and doing a substantial 
business. 

A youth and earlier manhood made up like this could 
hardly fail, with common sense and good New England 
shrewdness, to qualify its subject for almost any duty 
found in a popular government. The f^iir, though not 
liberal, education he had enjoyed, with the experience of 
such varied and important callings, left his mind en- 
dowed with a large stock of the practical wisdom of life, 
and impressed with the surest and most useful of all the 
facts of ordinary knowledge. It may be said, without 
flattery, that of this Mr. Lewis has given extended and 
agreeable evidence. In 1852 he filled a seat in the 
Common Council, in the delegation from Ward Three. 
And this makes Mr. Lewis the seventh Mayor of Lynn 
who has had previous experience in that branch. Dur- 
ing following years he spent nine different terms in the 
Board of Aldermen in successive association with Mayors 
Davis, Neal, Usher and Walden. He is thus also the 
seventh Mayor who base done service in the Board, and 
shared with Messrs. Neal, Usher and Walden alone the 
advantage of practical knowledge in both divisions of 
the government. 

On the establishment of the Public Water Board, in 
1871, he was made one of its members, and shared influ- 
entially in the debates so copiously arising out of the 
water question in that and the succeeding years. His 
course in all these positions was always such as com- 
manded high respect, though he was thus connected with 



JACOB M. LEWIS. 197 

some of the most diflicult periods of the iimni; ipal his- 
tory. Ill 18G0 his influence was hehl of lii,i;h vahie 
durinG,- the emharnissments of the " Great Strike " of 
that year ; and in 1802, '63, '64 and '65, he was a sub- 
stantial nicnihcr of th(; well-remembercil " War Board," 
whirh continued through all that critical time almost 
without alteration of membership, and the duties of which 
were more severe, probably, than those of any before or 
since. And as the life and character of every public 
officer are largely identified with the events and recur- 
rences of his time of prominence, and usually to be rec- 
ognized as definitely connected with the progress, so it 
appears pertinent to allude to a few more notable things 
that, happening in the administration of the subject of 
this sketch, are natural accessories in this brief biog- 
raphy. 

The patriotic feeling of the citizens of Lynn, freely 
movins: itself toward a recognition of the services and 
sacrifices of the men whose lives had been given in de- 
fence of the nation, had already decided that some val- 
uable public work should be erected to commemorate the 
worth of those noble vindicators of American liberty. 
The deliberations on the point had resulted in the selec- 
tion of a classical design for a public monument from 
the hand of Mr. John A. Jackson, an American artist 
of Florence, Italy. During the summer of 1873, the 
construction of this work, located in Park Square, was 
favoraldy completed, and on the 17th of September of 
that year the "Soldiers' Monument," the first and 
almost tl»e only specimen of ornamental art ever yet 
provided at public expense in Lynn, was consecrated 
with appropriate ceremonies. 

Mr. Lewis's incumbency in the oCQce of Mayor com- 



198 MAYORS OF LYNN. 

menced in January, 1873, and terminated in January, 
1877. He is a gentleman of peculiarly quiet and un- 
obtrusive manners, easy and agreeable to all, yet rather 
inclined to reserve in his general deportment. His ac- 
tion is usually cautious, never precipitate, but always 
firm ; and though he may take a position with what 
seems to be slowness, he is rarely, if ever, under the 
necessity of retreating from it afterward. His adminis- 
trations have been marked with a decided regard for 
public economy, and it was probably in a good degree 
owing to his efforts that, in his last two official years, a 
very gratifying reduction was actually made in the public 
debt of the city ; yet no enterprise looking to the real 
good of the community has ever failed for want of en- 
couragement from him. 

In person Mr. Lewis is of average height, with a 
florid complexion and some disposition to stoutness. 
His whole appearance is that of a calm-spirited, thought- 
ful man, whose aim has been to live well and happily 
himself, and do what he might to secure the like benefit 
to those around him. 



IIsriDEX. 



Surnames appear in this Index arranged alphabetically with the 
subjects.] 



Abbott, 143. 

Adiims, 64, 65, 163. 

Address to President Adams and 

In's rcplv, 04, (i5. 
Aired Woinen, Home for, 113, 138. 
Alhn, C5, lO'J. 
Alley, 74, 95. 
Ancient and Honorable Artillery, 

37, 110. 
An Irew, 109, 193. 
Anlros, 45, i:50, 184. 
Animals, 81, 1-29, 131. 
Assassination of President Lincoln, 

71. 
Attwill, lOS. 
Austin, 111. 



B. 



Bachelor and Batelielder, 12, 13, 
108, 109. 111. 1-29, 171. 

Baker, 108. 110, 140, 151, 152, 154. 

Ballard. 110. 

Bancroft. 20. 21, 23. 32. 

Band-iof I\Iusie. 113. 

Banks, for Discount and for Sav- 
ings, 114. 

Barrett, 109. 

Bassolt, 109. 

Beaches and Shores, 85. 86. 

Benevolent, Literary and other So- 
ci((ties, 112. 

B(nn<tt, 110, 130. 

I'xrt. 130. 

]>ii kCord. 150. 

Biddlc. 72, 74. 

B r o (•■ K A r II 1 (• A L Sketcijes and 
Peksonal Notices: 

Bachelor, Rev. Stephen, 13. 
Baker, Daniel C, Mavor, 151. 



Bioo KAPniCAL Sketches and 
Peksonal Notices, continued. 

Breed, Andrews, Mayor, 159. 
Bre( d, EI)enezer, 59. 
Breed, Hiram N., Maj'oi*, 175. 
B'.ifuini, James N., ^Mayor, 187. 
Bunhstead, Dr. John Henry, 27. 
Ban-ill, George. 18. 
Cobbet, R<v. Thomas, 15. 
Davis, Edward S.. Mayor, 171. 
Gray. William, 22. 
Holyoke, Edwiird, 10. 
Hood, G; orge. Mayor, 143. 
Humfrey, Lady Susan, 33. 
Inf^alls, Edmund and Francis, 12. 
Johnson. Wm. F.. Mayor, 167. 
Lewis, Alonzo, 121. 
Lewis, Jacob M., Mayor, 195. 
Merrill, Benjamin, 28. 
Moody, Lady Deborah, 34. 
:Mudge, r>en). F., iMayor, 147. 
Mudge, Ezra W., Mayor, 163. 
Ncal. P(>tcrM.. jMayor, 179. 
Newhall, Dr. Horatio, 23. 
Newhall, James R., 125. 
Newhedl, Landlord, 56. 
Pickerimr, Timothy, 18. 
RichardsT)n, T. P.,'iMayor, 155. 
Usher, Pudand G.. Mayor, 183. 
Wald(>n, Edwin. Mayor, 191. 
Washburn, Reuben JP. and son, 

29. .30. 
Wiiiling, Rev. Samuel and wife, 

13. 
Wood, William, author, 24. 

Birch Pon.l formed, 138. 
Blanchard, 103. 
Bonaparle, 33. 
Bond, 136. 
Bonfires, 71, 125. 
Boiuwtdl. 176. 
Bowditch. 126. 
Bcnvler. 54. 145. 



[199] 



200 



INDEX. 



Braddoek, 132. 

Bray, 166. 

Brood, 24, 59, 60, 61, 70, 95, 108, 110, 

133, 143, 116, 159, 160, 161, 175, 

176, 177, 178. 
Bread's Pdnd formed, 133. 
Brico, 183. 

Bridijos, (^iirn.niie), 110. 
Brimblccom, 159, 160. 
Brooks, (water), 82. 
Brown, 128, 135. 
Bubior, 99, 154. 
Bueknam, 184. 
BuOiini, 108, 187, 188, 189. 
Bull Figlit at Half Way House, 132. 
Bullock, 186. 
Burchstead, 27. 
Burrill, 18, 95, 125, 146. 
Burton, 130. 
Butler, 185. 

C. 

Campbell, 128. 

Celestial Phenomena, 130, 131, 132, 
133, 134, 135, 136. 

Cemetery, Pine Grove, 133. 

Centennial Year, Lynn, in, 73, 93, 
116. 

Chadwell, 163, 174. 

Channing, 126. 

Chase, 74, 108, 111, 154, 163. 

Cheever, 54. 

Chesapeake and Shannon, battle of, 
67. 

Choral Union, 112. 

Chronological Table, 129. 

Churches, 112. 

City Clerks, 109. 

City Debt, Expenditures and Re- 
ceipts, 99. 

City Marshals, 109. 

City Mission, 112. 

City Property, Valuation of, 97, 98. 

City Trensurers, 109. 

Clatiin, 186. 

Clark, 108. 

Clay, 134, 182. 

Clergymen, number of, 115. 

Clerks, City, 109. 

Clifford, 180, 186. 

Cobb, 180. 

Cobbet, 12, 15, 

Coldam, 110. 

Cole, 110. 

Collins, 95, 146. 

Collyer, 196. 

Commencement of Settlement, 10. 

Common Council, Presidents of, 
108. 



Court, Police, 110, 133. 
Cox, 160. 

Cromwell, Oliver. 42. 
Crowninscheldt, 27. 
Currier, 74. 
Cushing, 23. 

D. 

Dagyr, 49, 131. 

Dana, 20. 

Dark Days, 1.30, 131. 

Davis 108, 162, 171, 172, 174, 196. 

Deaths, Causes of, (Vital Statistics), 
103. 

Deiiths by Drowning, 131, 133, 13.3, 
134. 

Debt, Citv, Expenditures and Re- 
ceipts, «i9. 

Decoration Day, 72. 

DeCormi'J, 74. 

Deed of Lynn, Indian, 130. 

Dextc>r, 170, 

Diamond. Mary, 78. 

Dillon, 109. 

Donohoe, 75. — 

Douglass, 189. 

DoAfning, 111, 167. 

Drowning, Deaths by, 131, 133, 133, 
134. 

Dudley, 184. 

Dung( on Rock, 77, 130, 133. 

Dwellings, 93. 115. 



E. 



Early Settlers, condition of, 42. 

Eaton, 75. 

Editors" and Printers' Association, 

113. 
Education in early times, 44. 
Egg Rock Light, 134. 
Electric Telegraph, HI, 137. 
Epizootic, horse disease, 137. 
Evelyn, 42. 
Events, Chronoloeical Table of, 

129. 
Excitement concerning Andros and 

Randolph, 45. 
Expenditures, City, Receipts and 

Debt, 99, 102. 
Exposition, World's, at Phialdel- 

phia, 64, 138. 



F. 



Families, old, 95. Number of, in 

1875, 115. 
Farmer, (surname), 194. 
Fay, 110. 



INDEX. 



201 



Financial Condition of Lynn, 99, 

100, 101. 
Firos, Fi -0 Department. Insurance, 

107. 133, 135, 130. 
First Cliurch gathered, 11. 
First Settlers, 12. 

First white person l)orn in Lynn, 23. 
Fislierii's and Maiiidaetures, 41, 53 

(iO, 61. 11.'), 131. 
Flax, cultiv.ition of, 53. 
Fh)r.i of Lynn, 80. 
Free Masons, 112, 132, 138. 
Frosted Trees, 132. 
Funeral, provisions at Rev. Mr. 

Cobijet's, 10. 



G. 



Gan-ison, 188. 

Geology of Lvnn. 38, 79. 

Gilford, 2G, 27, 130. 

Golden Spike of racilic Railroad, 

25. 
Gorges, 184. 
Gowan, 22. 

(irand Array of the Republic, 112. 
Grant, 137, 186, 189. 
Graves, 95. 
Gray, 32, 110, 133. 
Green, 18. 



Hancock, 131. 

Hanson, 124. 

Harmon, 110. 

Harris. 75. 

Hart, 22. 125. 

Ilartwell, 167. 

Hathaway, 16. 

Haven, 21. 

Ilawkes, 108, 110. 

Hayden, 118. 

Ha/,eltin(>, 27. 

Hewes, 25, 110. 

Hiiih School, studies in, 106. 

Hills, (surname), 74. 

Hills (elevations) of Lynn, 81. 

Hinks. TO. 

Hitching-:. 111. 

Holder. 108. 

Holmes, 74. 

Holyoke, 16. 83. 

Holvoke, Mount, 17. 

HolNoke Sprini:. 17. 83. 

Homi: for .Vg.'d Women. 113. 138. 

Hood. 108. 136, 143, 114. 145. 116. 

Hook, 187. 

Hooker. 89. 



Horsi! Di.st'a.se, (epizootic), 137. 

Horse Trot, lirst, 132. 

Hose, (surname), 50. 

Hospital, Lvnn, 113, 138. 

Houghton, 192. 

Howe, 37, 110. 

Hudson, 70, 121. 

Humfrev. 33, 34, 35, 110, 129. 195. 

Hurd, 100. 

Iluse, 103. 

Hutchinson, 19, 110. 



I. 



Independence, celebrations of, in 
Lynn, 73, 1.32. 

Indian Deed of Lynn, 130. 

Indians, A'isits of, 91. 

Indian Wars, Lynn's action con- 
cerning, 49, 61. 

Ingalls, 12, 70, 95, 109, 129. 145 

Ireson. 146. 

Iron Works, 39, 1.30. 



Jackson, 67, 72, 163. 197. 
Johnson. 16, 95, 108, 110, 146. 167, 

168, 169. 
Jones, 109. 
Judges of Lynn Court. 110, 127 

K. 

Kent, 109. 

Kertland. 22, 27, 129. 

Kieft, Dutch Governor, 35, 37. 

Knight, 109. 

Knights of Pythias, 112. 

Kossuth, 134. 



Ladies' Benevolent Societies, 113. 
Lafayette, Gen., visits Lynn, 131, 

132. 
Lawyers, 28. 29, 115. 
Lcchfor.l. 35. 
I^e, 71, 180. 
Lewis, 51, 7.5, 87. 91, 95, 108. 120, 

121, 122. 123. 121, 128, 135. 145, 

195, 196, 197. 198. 
Libraries, 112. 115. 13.5, 1.37. 
Lighting of Dwellings. 89. 
Linc(dn. Gi>, 71. i;;6. 184. 
Lion, schooner, wrecked, lives lost, 

136. 
Long, 109. 
Lovejoy. 109. 



202 



INDEX. 



Lynx, its nnme, aspect and condi- 
tion at diifi^-ent periods, 36, 41, 
43, 48, 75, 93, 116. 

Lynnlield, 132. Drowning of 13 
persons, in Pond, 133. 

M. 

Madison, 60. 
Mansiield, 55, 95, 146. 
ManuQictures and Fisheries, 41, 53, 

60, 61, 115, 131. 
Marl)!;', 133. 
Market Supplies, 94. 
Market Town, Lynn, made, 41. 
Marsh, 111, 118. 
Marsliall, 110. 

Masonic Institutions, 112, 132, 138. 
Math( r, 83. 

Mayoi:s of Lynn, Biographical 
Sketches of, icith Portraits, viz: 

Baker, Daniel C, 151. 

Breed, Andrews, 159. 

Breed, Ilii-am N., 175. 

Buffum, James N., 187. 

Davis, Edward S., 171. 

Hood, Geor-e, 143. 

Johnson. William F., 167. 

Lewis, Jaco!>M., 195. 

Madge, B njamin F., 147. 

Mudge. Ezra Waircn, 163. 

Neal, Peter M., 179. 

Richardson, Thomas P., 155. 

Ush' r, Roland G., 183. 

Walden, Edwin, 191. 
Mayoi-s of Lynn, List of, with dates 

of inauguration, 108. 
McDonald, 1S2. 
McGuire, 134. 
Medical Society, 113. 
Merrill, 28. 
Merritt, 109. 
Meteors, shower of, in 1833, 133. 

(See Celestial Phenomena.) 
Military of Lynn, 111, 132, 135. 
Mineral Spring, 83. 
Ministers, number of, 115. 
Mission, City, 112. 
Monument, Soldiers', 72, 138. 
Moody, 34. 

Morocco manufacture, 60, 61, 131. 
Morrell, 179. 
Morse, 137. 
Mndge. 108, 109, 110, 147, 148, 149, 

150, 163, 164, 165, 186. 
Mulliken. 111. 
Muni-oe. 70, 109, 132. 
Music-, Binds of, 113. 
Mutual Benefit Societies, 113. 



N. 

Nahant, 45, 85. 

Name of Lynn, origin of, 36. 

Neal, 108, 110, 17i), 180, 182, 193, 

195, 196. 
Nettleton, 72. 
Newhall,23, 56, 69, 74, 75, 95, 108, 

109, HI, 116, 125, 128, 129, 142, 

146, 151, 155, 161, 174.^ 
Newspapers and Printing Offices, 

115. 
Nullification, South Carolina, 67. 
Nye, 147. 

0. 

Odd Fellows, 112, 137. 

Old Families, number of voters of, 

95. 
Oliver, 110, 111. 
Onslow, 19. 
Oreutt, 160. 
Ossian, 92. 
Otley, 110. 



Parker, 20, 32. 

Parsons, 109. 

Patch, 109. 

Payne, 60. 

Peggy, brig, wrecked, 131. 

Purdy, 133. 

Personal Notices. (See Biograph- 
ical Sketches.) 

Petition for Nahant, by Randolph, 
45. 

Phenomena. (See Celestial Phe- 
nomena.) 

Philip, (Indian King), 48. 

Phillips, 30, 95, 167. 

Physicians, 26, 115. 

Pickering, 18. 

Pierson. 23. 

Pine Hill Reservoir, 138. 

Pine Tree Coins, 39. 

Pitcher, Moll, 7S, 132. 

Police Court, 110, 133. 

Polk, President, 133. 

Ponds, 82. Birch, 138. Breed's, 
133. 

Population table, 96. 

Pou TRAITS, with Biographical 
Sketches. 

Baker, Daniel C, faces page 151 
Bi-eed, Andrews, " " 159- 
Bre( d, Hiram N., " " 175 
Buflfum, James N., " " 187 
Davis, Edward S., " " 171 



INDEX. 



203 



POK TRAITS, with Biogi-aphical 
Sketches, continued. 
Hood, George, faces page 143 
Johnson. Wm. F., " " 167 
Lewis, Alonzo, " " I'-il 

Lewis, Jacob M., " " 105 
Miidgc, Benj. F., " " 117 
Mudg;-, E;:ra W., " " 103 
Neal, Peter M., " " 179 
Newhall, Jas. R.. " " 12", 
Ricliavdson, T. P., " " 155 
Ush<T, Roland G., " " lf^3 
Waldon, i:d\Vin " " 191 

PostOniro, 111, 131. 

Pratt, 137. 

President John Adams, Address 
to, and Reply, 61, 65. 

Presidents of Common Council, 
list of, 108. 

Printing Offices and Newspapers, 
115. 

Public Library, 112, 135, 137. 

Pynchon, 17. 

R. 

Railroads, steam and horse, HI, 

133, 134, 135, 138. 
Ramsdll. 55, MG, 191. 
Randolph, 4-3, 45, 46, 130. 
Rebellion. Shays's, 66. 
Rebellion, Southern, Lynn's action 

in, GO. 
Receipts, City, Expenditures and 

Di bt. 99. 
Reed, 26, 130. 
R'.digious Societies, 112. 
Reservoir. Pine Hill, 1.38. 
Revolutionary Times, 50 to 53. 
Rhodes, 1 16, 167. 
Richardson, 74, 108, 143, 155, 156, 

157. 
Richmond, fall of, 71. 
Robinson, 108, 110, HI. 



Sadler, 129. 

Sanderson. 74. 

Schools, 105. 

Scott, 24. 

Scythe, improvement in, 40. 

Sea Serpent. 132. 138. 

Settlement of other places by Lynn 

people, 51. 
Shak^peare, 16. 
Sliays".s lleb Uion. 66. 
Shepard and Shepherd, 46, 109. 
Sheplcy. 186. 
Sherman. I.'IO. 



Shipwrecks, 131, 133. 134. 135, 136. 
Shoo Business, 49. 59, 114. 
Shoemakers' Striki-, 135, 173. 
Shores ami Beaches. 85, 86. 
Skinner, 160. 
Small Pox. 130. 
Smith, 110. 
Societies. Benevolent, Literary, 

&c., 112. 113. 
Soldiers' Monument, 72, 138, 194, 

197. 
Spiritual Interference, Witchcraft, 

&c., 26. 44, 130. 
Springs, 82. 

Statistics, (tables), 95 to 1 15. 
Steele, 74. 
Stickney, 111, 147. 
St. John. 13. 
Stone, 109, 170, 178, 195. 
Stone Walls, 52. 
Stores 115. 

Storms. 87,' 130, 131, 132, 137. 
Story, 29. 

Streets, Courts, Squares, 94, 115. 
Swan, 124. 

T. 

Tables, Statistical, 05 to 115. 
Tapley, 70. 155. 

Tavern, Landlord Newhall's, 56. 
Tea Tax and Tea destroyed in 

Lvnn. 51. 
Tcbbetts, 1.34. 

Tedesco, bark, wrecked. 134. 
Temperance Societies, 113, 172. 
Thacher, 29. 

Thomas, schooner, wrecked, 133. 
Thurston, 109. 
Tomlins, 110. 

Town receives name of Lynn, 38. 
Tracy, 80. 

Travel, modes of, 89. 
Trees, indigenous. 81. 
Trouble with tiie Dutch, 37. 
Turner, 47. 110, 129. 
Tyng, 24. 

u. 

Usher. 70, 72, 75, 108. 110, 111, 183, 
184, 185, 186, 196. 



V.aluation, Polls, Taxation, Voters, 

97. 
Value of City Property, 98. 
Van Ten Haven, 37. 
Veal, the pirate, 13(». 



204 



INDEX. 



Vernon, bark, ■wrecked. 135. 

Vinton, 21. 

Vital Statistics. 103. 

W. 

Walden, 108, 191, 194, 196. 
Walker, 110. 
Ward. 48. 

Washburn, 29, 31. 194. 
Washinirton, 18. 131, 132. 
Water Works, 98, 138, 194. 
Webster. 134. 
Whales, 27, 131, 132, 138. 
Wlieaton, 19. 
Whitelield, 131. 



Whiting, 12 to 15, 33, 34. 
Whittle, 108, 109. 
Wiley, 29. 
Wilhirl, 1C3. 
Wintlirop, 129. 
Witchcraft, &c., 20, 41, 130. 
Wolfe, 132. 

Wood, 24. 82, e3. 86, 110. 129. 
World's Exposiiion at Philadel- 
phia, 64, 138. 



Y. 



Yacht Club, 113. 137. 
Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tion, 112. 137. 






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